Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 148 Visiting the Mirror-like National Preceptor
Meanwhile, Chang Ping'an and Ye Shuyun hurried along, and after most of the day, they finally arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture.

When they arrived at the Huiyou Escort Agency and inquired, they found that the Ye family caravan had not yet arrived!
After discussing it, the two decided they really didn't want to stay at the Huiyou Escort Agency, so they randomly found an inn to stay at.

It's worth mentioning that in the inns of Jingzhao Prefecture, a superior room only costs 300 coins.

"Selling travel permits? Oh dear! You two have probably never been to our Great Zhou before!"

The innkeeper, a woman with a rosy complexion and a plump figure, burst into laughter upon hearing that the two had bought travel permits. She exclaimed, "Whether you have a travel permit or not doesn't matter in our Great Zhou! Having one makes entering the city easier, but if you don't, a few dozen coins will do! All that talk about a 20% discount on lodging... hehe, that's all a scam to you out-of-towners! If you ask me, that 500 coins for a room is probably an overcharge of 80%!"

Chang Ping'an was dumbfounded: "Eighty percent? But doesn't it cost three cents a night here too?"

The landlady covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh, sir, I don't like what you're saying! Jinyang Post Station is just a post station, only used for resting. Ours is an inn in Jingzhao Prefecture. Even if you're looking for girls, I can find the most popular ones for you two! The price is naturally different!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Ping'an blushed deeply and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no need, we, we'll just stay at the inn!"

Seeing this, Ye Shuyun couldn't help but laugh and said to defuse the situation, "Please don't make fun of us brothers, landlady. Let's quickly book a room and prepare some hot soup!"

The proprietress smiled and didn't press Chang Ping'an any further. She readily took two keys and led the two upstairs, saying, "No problem! If you need anything, just let me know!"

……

To be honest, Chang Ping'an and Ye Shuyun didn't actually have any luggage—everything was packed in a few Qiankun bags, so they were traveling light. After glancing at the room, the two went downstairs to investigate Daxing Temple.

Daxing Temple was the "place of practice" of the former Zhou State's national teacher, and also the place where he propagated Buddhism.

Buddhism was the state religion of the Zhou Kingdom, and Daxing Temple had always been the kingdom's guardian temple, heavily guarded and not easily visited, but...

"Donate money for incense oil?"

Chang Ping'an was stunned, as he had never imagined such a path.

His original plan was for his junior brother to meet him outside while he went into the temple to find Monk Mingjing. Although he had never seen the Smiling Maitreya, he had heard the voices of his two enemies. Once he heard them, he would be able to tell whether Monk Mingjing was the Smiling Maitreya or not!
But the plan my junior brother suggested seems more feasible...

“In most temples, you can donate money under the guise of listening to Buddhist teachings. As long as you donate more, you can listen to the abbot or a master give a lecture.”

Ye Shuyun said, "Since entering the Zhou Kingdom, I have heard that National Master Mingjing is a master of profound Buddhism who gives lectures to pilgrims every day to spread Buddhism. If we donate enough money, it will not be difficult to get a chance to listen to his lectures."

"Hmm... then, how much should we donate for incense oil?"

Thirty strings of cash? Forty strings of cash? Chang Ping'an felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Ye Shuyun said, "Junior Brother, you can handle this matter. I brought a token with a face value of 100,000 strings of cash, so I'll donate that amount!"

"How much?!"

Chang Ping'an was startled, his eyes wide, doubting his ears: "Ten thousand strings of cash!?"

Ye Shuyun smiled and said, "Senior brother, don't worry. The coins circulating in Chu cannot be fully redeemed at face value. They are mostly exchanged at a ratio of ten to one, or even twenty to one. If used in other countries, their value is even lower."

"Oh...ten to one...no, that's not right!"

Chang Pingan did the math in his mind. Even if it was ten to one, that would still be ten thousand strings of cash! Even if it was twenty to one, it would still be five thousand strings of cash!

That's five thousand strings of cash!

Donate five thousand strings of cash!?
He stared blankly at Ye Shuyun, speechless.

Are the Ye family really that rich?! They can just casually donate 10,000 guan?!
"Don't worry, senior brother. We'll retrieve this money slip once this matter is settled. We were just trying to verify whether National Preceptor Mingjing is truly the Smiling Maitreya, not to donate incense money."

As she spoke, Ye Shuyun paused, then added, "Besides, the Ye family earns more than 100,000 from a trip to Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Well... okay then..."

Chang Ping'an hesitated, but having no better option, he had no choice but to agree.

At worst, once this matter is settled, I can save money and slowly pay back my junior brother's "ten thousand strings of cash" with my monthly allowance!
The two devised a plan and openly entered the gate of Daxing Temple, where they donated the 100,000 taels of silver.

Qianyin was a type of paper money issued by the government of the Southern Chu Kingdom, similar to Jiaozi, which was popular in the Sichuan region during the previous dynasty. However, Jiaozi was more like a certificate for depositing and withdrawing money than a currency that could be used directly for transactions, while Qianyin could be used directly for transactions and could be freely exchanged for money in the Southern Chu Kingdom.

Upon learning that the two had come all the way from the Southern Chu Kingdom to listen to the Buddha's teachings, the abbot of Daxing Temple was delighted. He led them to the guest courtyard and said very politely, "Please wait a moment, I will go and invite the National Preceptor."

Afterwards, they found a young novice monk to entertain the two of them and hurriedly headed to the inner courtyard.

……

"The Imperial Advisor has arrived!"

Soon, accompanied by a drawn-out, shrill announcement, a group of palace maids and eunuchs filed in from outside the guest courtyard, standing solemnly in the courtyard, lined up on both sides.

Then, a middle-aged monk dressed in fine clothes and wearing a five-Buddha crown adorned with pearls appeared at the gate of the courtyard.

Chang Pingan stood up, staring intently at the other person, almost holding his breath, but he was stunned when he heard the first syllable.

The voice was hoarse and aged, completely different from the voice I remembered.

"You two have been waiting for a long time."

The National Preceptor Mingjing slowly entered, leaning on a twelve-ringed staff made of pure gold. His expression was kind and gentle—not at all like the legendary Smiling Maitreya!

When Ye Shuyun saw the figure of the National Preceptor Mingjing, he also stood up, put his palms together and bowed, saying, "My name is Yun Shuye. I have come here without permission and hope that the National Preceptor can enlighten me."

"The 100,000 strings of cash donated by the benefactor is enough to repaint the Buddha statues in ten temples."

National Preceptor Mingjing smiled and shook his head, the Buddhist beads on his wrist clinking together with a crisp sound.

He first sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, and then gestured with his hand, saying, "Please sit down, both of you. Why don't you tell me your true purpose?"

“Your Excellency is overthinking this,” Ye Shuyun said as he sat down. “I have been in poor health since childhood, and my parents have offered me longevity lamps. Therefore, I have always been quite interested in Buddhism. I would be grateful if Your Excellency would be so kind as to enlighten me.”

(End of this chapter)