You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 36 Take action
Before sunset, Chen Shao packed up his stall and left, making a net profit of over two thousand strings of cash.

His items were genuine and of high quality, and he was eager to sell them, so they were indeed cheap.

"Big Tiger, be careful!"

As Chen Shao carefully packed up the remaining calligraphy and paintings, he turned around and saw that Da Hu was acting very roughly.

"I understand, boss."

At this moment, a fat monk stepped forward with a smile and bowed.

"Congratulations, benefactor."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "Thank you, Master."

"Your wealth today is a blessing. Look at the dew dripping from the eaves, it is like the sweet dew in Guanyin's vase. Every tile added by believers from all directions brings more Buddha's light to the world."

After speaking, he tapped the carved decoration on the donation box that his young apprentice was holding behind him.

"Even a small act of kindness in creating a statue can bring a hundred eons of blessings from a king!"

Chen Shao was speechless. He had already paid the stall fee, and now he had to donate some of the money he sold?
Looking at the remaining paintings and calligraphy in his hands, he realized that he still had quite a lot in stock, especially with Li Shishi, who probably had a lot as well.

Chen Shao's eyes suddenly lit up; he had an idea.

He said with a smile, "I've always been a generous and charitable person. Why don't we go to the temple and talk about it in detail?"

"Very good, very good! Giving even a single coin brings immeasurable merit. This humble monk can tell at a glance that you, benefactor, are a person of immeasurable merit."

Chen Shao followed them into the temple.

After sitting down, the senior monk turned to the young novice and said, "Jueming, quickly go and brew a pot of my new tea."

The young monk turned to make tea, and Chen Shao asked with a smile, "My name is Chen Shao, and I serve as the commander of the Imperial Guards of the Capital Garrison. May I ask your Dharma name, Master?"

“Amitabha, my Buddhist name is Zhihui. I didn’t realize you were a commander in the Imperial Guard. My apologies for my rudeness.”

The commander of the Imperial Guards wasn't a high-ranking official, and this man didn't look like a prince. The fact that he possessed so many calligraphy, paintings, and inscriptions immediately revealed his wisdom.

He concluded that this was someone selling things on behalf of their superior to earn money.

Chen Shao clasped his hands in a fist salute and said with a smile, "It's just because of the kindness of Commander Tong, I don't deserve your respect, Master."

Wisdom nodded inwardly, realizing that he was one of Tong Guan's men.

When Jueming brought in tea and gave Chen Shao and Zhihui a cup each, Dong Dahu suddenly grabbed him and asked, "I'm thirsty too, why isn't there any for me?"

Chen Shao pushed his own to him and said, "Da Hu, go and guard the door. I have something to say to the master alone."

Da Hu took the teacup and dragged the little novice monk outside.

Why are you pulling me?!

"Didn't you hear what our master said? He wants to speak to your master alone. How can you be so insensible, monk?"

Jueming glared at him resentfully, but seeing the man's size, he didn't dare to say anything more.

He even dared to ask for his own master's tea; he's clearly a fool. Why provoke him?

Looking at the two men's behavior, typical of Northwest soldiers, utterly lacking in manners, Zhihui became even more convinced of his own thoughts.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "As you can see, Master, I have quite a few calligraphy and paintings here, and I'm eager to sell them, but I don't have the patience to set up a stall. As you can see, I have no trouble selling these things. How about this, your temple will buy them all for me, and I'll give you a discount, how about that?"

This Great Xiangguo Temple is a sure-fire source of cash flow; it can handle anything.

With their help, it should be easy to make a move. They have many connections and extensive networks of influential people, so they can make a move whenever they want.

Moreover, even the Great Xiangguo Temple might not be willing to sell it.

Because these paintings and calligraphy works cannot be bought with money.

Sending gifts to cultivate good relationships with influential people can bring greater benefits.

Wisdom was delighted, but outwardly he feigned distress.

Chen Shao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and said, "Master, let me tell you the truth, these things are easy to sell, and since you all want them, I'll sell them at a lower price. But if you're thinking of trying to cheat me in a roundabout way, then I'll have to report it to Commander Xuan, and then it won't look good on me."

Zhihui cursed inwardly, thinking that the convicts in the Northwest were the most irritable and rude. However, he also had to consider what he said, as Tong Guan had never had any dealings with the Great Xiangguo Temple.

The current emperor is a devout follower of Taoism, and the flow of water at Daxiangguo Temple is not as good as it used to be. We absolutely cannot afford to offend such a person again.

"Please allow me to discuss this with my senior brother, the abbot."

"Please, Master."

Chen Shao sat in the Buddhist hall, looking at the smiling Maitreya Buddha above, and got up to bow.

Just then, Da Hu came in and saw him bowing to Buddha. He also bent down and muttered some incantations.

When Zhihui arrived at the abbot's office, the abbot happened to be there as well.

He whispered the story to himself.

Elder Zhiqing opened his eyes and said, "This matter cannot be taken lightly. You should immediately send someone to investigate the commander of the Japanese army."

The connections of the Daxiangguo Temple in Bianliang City are unparalleled.

Soon, a monk entered, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the Zen Master, I have ascertained that the new commander of the Japanese army is a young man not yet twenty years old, who was indeed brought back from the Northwest by Grand Commandant Tong Guan."

The group exchanged glances, and Elder Zhiqing nodded, saying, "In that case, this is indeed an opportunity, Zhihui."

"The disciple is here."

"We'll buy his calligraphy and paintings at a high price, and then prepare a generous gift."

The Great Xiangguo Temple has no shortage of money; what it lacks is the opportunity to give gifts.

When you rise to the rank of Tong Guan in officialdom, people will rack their brains trying to figure out how to give you gifts.

The several eminent monks in the room clearly shared this insight, and upon hearing this, they did not say anything more.

This isn't the first or second time Chen Shao has used Tong Guan's name to amass wealth.

He understood the moment the monk's expression changed.

So they went along with it, saying ambiguous things and letting the monks guess for themselves.

As for their own feelings that as a soldier, they wouldn't have such refined tastes, and that calligraphy and painting must belong to Tong Guan.

That's their own business; I didn't say anything.

Sure enough, not long after, the great monk Zhihui returned with a smile.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"No rush, no rush. Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so it's good to pay my respects to Buddha." Chen Shao changed his previous arrogance and laughed, "Master, you don't know, but I am a devout Buddhist. I have wanted to come and pay my respects for a long time. There's no time like the present."

Daxiangguo Temple truly lives up to its reputation for having a strong cash flow; it certainly has ample funds on hand.

Chen Shao played with a pair of beautiful jade pieces in his hand, which were a special gift from someone.

These jade pendants are exquisitely crafted; when separated, they form a jade pendant, and when joined, they form a jade disc. They are also engraved with eight characters in small seal script: "With zither and lute in hand, all is peaceful and serene."

He sold the things that Li Shishi had given him for 30,000 strings of cash, and some of the better items were still unsold.

The monks had signed a contract and could collect the money at any time. They were just waiting for Liu Guanglie and his men to arrive so they could go to the temple to collect the money.

Their background as the Northwest Army conveniently aligns with his own words.

Thirty thousand strings of cash.
Chen Shao was secretly pleased; he had really enjoyed this opportunity to be a kept man.

Even if someone in the Northwest were to be promoted by Tong Guan and become a military leader, it wouldn't matter how large or small the organization was, or how many troops they had.

If you don't have the money to support your army, then you have to listen to Tong Guan.

They listen to whoever supports them.

To have your own retinue, you need money and supplies.

(End of this chapter)