Xiaoyaoshanjun

Chapter 101 Prayer
Seven or eight days later, when Tian Buli was about to go out to play early in the morning, Gao Fengge blocked the door.

"Uncle, is there anything important today?"

Tian Buli said politely: "I was just planning to go out for a walk."

Gao Fengge also said politely: "Tomorrow is the day when the list of the top scorers in the capital will be announced. Today, I will go to the temple with my mother and a few people from my natal family to burn incense and pray for blessings. Why don't my second uncle and Emperor Mingzong also go with us to ask the Buddha for blessings for my husband."

Tian Buli didn't have anything to do, and the other party was talking about serious matters.

"Okay, since I haven't been to a temple yet, I'll go with you."

Gao Fengge smiled and said, "That's good. I'll go back and prepare. With Second Uncle and Emperor Mingzong accompanying us, we women can travel with peace of mind."

Tian Buli nodded and said, "Then I will go ask Mr. Mingzong for a day off."

"Don't worry, Second Uncle. I have already sent someone to go." Gao Fengge wanted to invite Tian Buli mainly, but Gou'er's side was easy to talk to, just a word would be enough.

Tian Buli didn't want to be with Gao Fengge, but the other party's procedures were formal and the reasons were legal, so he had to follow them.

Hu Yuwei's exam is the biggest matter for the Hu family, and praying for Hu Yuwei is also the family's responsibility.

Usually this kind of thing is done by the old mother. Hu wanted his old mother to die early, and his wife lived in her hometown in the mountains and refused to come over, so naturally it was the concubine who stepped forward.

Several people prepared two carriages, one for Gao Fengge and her mother, as well as Bu Zeng and two maids.

The other one is Gou'er and Tian Buli.

The dog who didn't have to go to school was still very happy and lay on the car window looking outside.

Tian Buli, on the other hand, was not very curious anymore and just kept reading the book.

This time we went to Lingguang Temple, the largest temple outside the city, located on a mountain outside the city.

Several people parked the car at the foot of the mountain and walked up the steps.

There were many other people nearby. There were hundreds of people on the stone pavement where the car was parked, and a large number of them were elderly people and women.

This season is the time for examinations. When scholars are taking exams, their family members will burn incense and worship Buddha.

On the contrary, Taoist temples don’t take on this kind of work.

There are some small Taoist temples that will take on this kind of work, but the larger ones don't want to take on such troublesome things.

Taoists go for high-end customization, while monks focus on mid- and low-end products.

When praying for blessings, you can see the abbot in a Buddhist temple, but you cannot see any masters in a Taoist temple. There are relatively few Taoists in various Taoist temples.

With fewer people, those who pray feel that it is not lively and not effective.

In fact, neither side is effective... No one cares about the trivial matters.

Everyone is praying for their family members, it’s impossible that they will all win, right?
Tian Buli was considered a Taoist, so after escorting the few people up the mountain, he did not enter the temple to kneel down, but just waited patiently outside the door.

While waiting, I met an old woman who came with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

"Isn't this Mr. Tian?"

Tian Buli saw the old woman and discovered that she was Yu Zhongzheng's mother.

The place where Hu Yuwei lived before was given by Yu Zhongzheng, so he had met Yu Zhongzheng's family twice.

"Madam," Tian Buli said politely, "Mr.'s family and children are praying in the temple. I'll follow them to see if you are praying for Mr. Yu as well?"

Madam Yu smiled and nodded, "Yes, I came up to pray every day for the past seven days. The abbot said that only sincerity can make it effective. How many times did your master pray?"

Tian Buli smiled and said, "I just came here once today. Our home is too far from here, so we can't come here every day."

Madam Yu advised, "That won't do. The Bodhisattva in Lingguang Temple is very effective. I worshipped for seven days last year, and a scholar was born in my family!"

Tian Buli modestly made way, "Then I can't disturb you, please go first."

"Okay, then I will go to worship the Bodhisattva and Buddha first. You should also worship well. It is very effective here!" Old Madam Yu persuaded patiently and shared a good way.

Tian Buli didn't say whether he believed it or not, and quietly stayed away from it.

After Gou'er and the Gao family came back, Tian Buli did not ask about what happened inside.

Gou'er took out a rope tied to a cloth bag and said, "Second father, my aunt got you an amulet."

Tian Buli smiled and said, "I don't need it. I am a Taoist. Buddhists and I are not on the same path. You can play with me by yourself."

When Gou'er saw that Tian Buli didn't want it, he also said, "Then I don't want it either."

Gao Fengge said quickly: "This is a talisman, it blesses safety. Your second father has the ability to protect himself, but you don't. If you lose it, what if the Bodhisattva blames you?"

Gao Fengge's mother also said: "My dear husband, if you don't want to believe it, then don't believe it. Why do you want to teach a child bad things? This is so unlucky."

Tian Buli smiled and said, "If you are afraid of this and that, what kind of man are you?"

As he spoke, Tian Buli reached out and took the two amulets from Gou'er's hand.

"I didn't want to say anything, otherwise if something good happens I won't get a share, and if something bad happens I will definitely be blamed."

"But what's there to be afraid of?" Tian Buli threw the two amulets on the roadside before leaving the temple. "Whether it's safety or wealth, it's never something you can ask for."

Mrs. Gao quickly bent down and picked up the two amulets, then looked around fearfully.

"You... forget it, I won't talk to you anymore!"

Mrs. Gao thought that this rascal was very skilled and bold, and since there were so many people coming and going here, she couldn't say much to him, for fear that he would bear a grudge against her daughter. Gao Fengge also didn't dare to blame this man, and even didn't dare to hope that the Buddha would blame him, for fear that it would affect her husband's future and her own.

The women were unable to blame Tian Buli and could only swallow their anger. They only started to mutter curses in the carriage when they got on to go home.

But Tian Buli couldn't hear them, and they didn't dare to say those heartfelt words in front of Tian Buli.

After returning to the carriage, Tian Buli lay down with his legs crossed, feeling relaxed all over.

The dog sitting next to him said curiously, "Second father, I'm afraid when I talk to my aunt, why aren't you afraid?"

Tian Buli wanted to laugh when he heard this question, but after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly found that he couldn't give an answer for the moment.

After a brief thought, he said, "I don't have much contact with her, so I'm naturally not afraid of her, and I don't have to worry about being blamed by your father and mother because of her."

Gou'er still didn't understand. "Oh, it would be great if you were always in the city. My father is not here, my mother is not here, and you are not here either. I feel uncomfortable at home alone."

Tian Buli felt that the puppy was indeed a little pitiful, "Don't worry, just wait until your father finishes the exam. When your father is around, your good days will come."

Gou'er nodded and said, "Second father, if my father becomes an official and leaves to work as an official, what should I do?"

"You can go with your father!" Tian Buli comforted him, "Don't think too much, study hard, and when you are fourteen you can take the exam. If you can pass the exam, your father will definitely agree to let you come back and live here and take the exam."

The dog is still young and still has several years to go before he turns fourteen, but he has a general understanding of it.

Tian Buli did not burn incense or worship Buddha, nor did he care too much about Hu Yuwei's exam.

Anyway, after passing the imperial examination, you will at least become an official.

Two or three days later, Tian Buli, who was practicing martial arts in the yard, heard the sound of gongs and drums.

Tian Buli went out quickly and just as he reached the door he found Gao Fengge was already handing out money.

Seeing Tian Buli coming out, the gatekeeper Gao Heng smiled and said, "Second Master! The master has been ranked 17th on the list of Jinshi!"

"Seventeen..." Tian Buli smiled, "Not bad, he will definitely be a high-ranking official in the future."

Gao Fengge forgot about the unpleasant things that happened a few days ago, with a festive look on his face, "Second Uncle, just stay at home for a few days. There will definitely be a lot of people coming to visit."

Tian Buli walked outside and said, "You take care of these things. I'll go out and check the list to see if there are any other acquaintances."

Seeing that this man was used to being free and easy, Gao Fengge did not stop him. She was now the husband of a Jinshi... and his concubine.

She laughed but then became unhappy again. If the original wife hadn't been occupying the position there, she could have been the lady.

The human heart is hard to predict, and so is the Buddha’s heart.

Tian Buli came to the red list outside the academy in the city and took a look. There were a total of 500 candidates from Hanjiang Province who took the exam, including those from last year and more than ten years ago.

Only eight people passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi.

Hu Yuwei's name is on the list, but Yu Zhongzheng's name is not.

If you fail the exam this year, you can still take it again in three years. Even if you don’t want to take the exam anymore, you can choose to wait for assignment and become an official in another place.

"I don't know if his mother will still worship Buddha next year."

"They should be able to worship Buddha, and they will worship Buddha more devoutly."

After Tian Buli returned, he continued to be busy with his own affairs. On the day of the exam, he met Fu Shuhong, who had failed the exam for more than ten years, at the examination venue.

Fu Shuhong pulled Tian Buli aside to talk, "Have you heard? Yu Zhongzheng's mother let her grandchildren live in the courtyard where you used to live. I heard that the old lady almost fainted from anger a few days ago. She said that after asking a master, she knew that the feng shui of the house was not right and that someone had stolen her fortune."

Tian Buli smiled and said, "Burning incense and praying to the Buddha, complaining about the heavens, the earth, and the feng shui, is not a good way to say good things."

Fu Shuhong smiled after hearing this and said, "You are a very eloquent boy. I think I will pass this exam!"

Tian Buli did not make any sarcastic remarks. Fortunately, the team moved forward quickly and the two of them soon went to their respective toilet areas.

After waiting for more than two hours in the room where the toilet was, I finally got the test paper.

"The exam starts!"

Tian Buli spread out the test paper.

Question 1: What is the Holy Emperor?
Question 2: On the Land of Cold Sun

Question 3: Talents of a County

Question 4: Education
……

Tian Buli was thinking about how to start writing. There was no test on ancient Chinese literature. All the questions required combining various knowledge points.

The answers are very subjective, and the marking will be even more subjective...

"Damn, the officials who set the questions are too free. They just give marks based on how you feel."

Tian Buli thought for four or five hours before he started writing.

The first question must be answered around the great achievements of the current Holy Emperor, otherwise the examiner will not dare to give any points.

This is not a topic where you can express yourself freely.

If you want to be an official, you must abide by this set of unspoken rules and be loyal.

(End of this chapter)