The fragrance emanating from Zhang Zhaoge drifted along with the northern wind, drawing frequent puzzled and curious glances from passing pilgrims.
With a hint of awkwardness hanging in the air, Cui Yun searched for a topic and inquired, “How is Vice-General Zhang’s calligraphy practice coming along? Do you require any new copybooks?”
In an instant, Zhang Zhaoge felt as if she had been transported back to her school days, with teachers of every subject casually saying, “Finished your exam paper? Here, write another set of mock papers!”
Her scalp tingled, and her gaze drifted. “It’s, decent. Making a little progress every day; the future looks promising.”
Simply put, she had barely practiced at all. Reading between the lines, Cui Yun could not help but smile.
Xilan emerged from the temple and said softly, “Xiao Niangzi, everything has been arranged.”
Cui Yun nodded, and after bidding farewell to Zhang Zhaoge, she made her way down the mountain.
Zhang Zhaoge had originally intended to head down the mountain as well, but just before following Cui Yun down, Xilan cast a backward glance at her. This subtle gesture made her sense that something was amiss.
She strolled back into the temple and found the monks of the Grand Buddha Hall to make some discreet inquiries.
These monks frequently dealt with the wealthy and powerful, so they were naturally well-aware of the Cui clan the foremost of the Five Great Clans and Seven Eminent Families. They held a deep impression of Cui Yun, who had visited twice solely to negotiate a currency exchange.
The elder monks kept their lips sealed, but a young novice monk, intimidated by Zhang Zhaoge’s military status, whispered the three purposes of Cui Yun’s visits: first, to pay her respects to the Buddha; second, to consult the monks about relocating her parents’ tombs; and third, to exchange goods for copper coins.
The first two objectives had already been met. The temple’s Abbot had promised to visit the burial site of Cui Yun’s parents in seven days to inspect it before deciding on a date and ritual for the relocation. As for the third objective, the temple had rejected her twice.
Zhang Zhaoge fell into deep thought. Why does she need so many copper coins?
She idly pressed her hand against a donation box and gave it a light shake. The wooden box was heavy, emitting the crisp clinking of copper coins inside.
Buddhism was highly popular in this era. With a donation box placed in every grand hall and each pilgrim tossing in three to five copper coins, a temple could easily accumulate over a hundred thousand coins in less than a month no wonder they had enough copper to cast massive Buddhist statues.
“Tsk, no wonder Emperor Wuzong would eventually launch his campaign to suppress Buddhism,” Zhang Zhaoge thought to herself.
Exiting the grand hall, she turned a corner to seek out the Abbot of Guangning Temple.
“I hear your honorable temple is preparing to host the Great Eight Precepts Vegetarian Assembly (Baguan Zhaihui). At that time, not only will over a thousand monks convene, but you will also perform charitable acts, distributing congee to the impoverished to alleviate their suffering. For such a grand assembly, the required clothing, food, and charcoal must be immense. Does your temple possess sufficient provisions? I happen to know where you can purchase grain and high-quality charcoal. Furthermore, with an event of this scale attracting such a diverse crowd, chaos could easily break out. I shall personally lead my men to maintain order and ensure the assembly concludes smoothly.”
The Abbot gazed at her with a profound, quiet look. She returned his gaze with a cheerful smile, refusing to back down.
After a long pause, the Abbot spoke, “Many thanks to the Benefactor.”
“You are most welcome.”
The following day, Cui Yun was slightly startled to hear that the monks of Guangning Temple had arrived at her door. Didn’t they say they would only come in seven days? Why are they so early? Has some complication arisen?
Upon learning the purpose of their visit, she fell into a daze.
Unnoticed by either of them, Qingxi and Xilan were beaming with joy as they exclaimed, “This is wonderful, Xiao Niangzi! Guangning Temple wants to purchase our grain and charcoal at market price, and they are paying entirely in copper coins, not bartering with goods!”
“This is truly a timely rain.”
“Indeed… it is far too timely,” Cui Yun murmured to herself.
Since the temple had proactively proposed the transaction, Cui Yun naturally had no reason to refuse.
She inquired of the leading monk, “May I ask how much grain and charcoal your honorable temple requires? Do you have need of cloth as well?”
The monk replied, “One thousand dan of rice, two thousand jin of charcoal, and some silk cloth as well.”
The temple’s high demand for rice contrasted sharply with its minimal need for charcoal. This unusual combination immediately made Cui Yun think of the Great Eight Precepts Vegetarian Assembly scheduled for the following month.
She had heard that the assembly would be incredibly grand and solemn. Not only would monks from nearby temples attend, but over a thousand prestigious monks from Songzhou, Bianzhou, and Dengzhou had also been invited.
Cui Yun reasoned that this grain and charcoal were likely meant to cover the consumption of those few days.
Since a portion of the grain at Zhaoping Villa had to be preserved as provisions for the winter and the coming spring, their surplus grain fell short of one thousand dan. Consequently, she organized the villagers who desperately needed to convert their grain and cloth to pay their taxes, bringing them to trade directly with the temple face-to-face.
Watching Cui Yun turn the vast Zhaoping Villa into a bustling trading hub, Nanny Du gnashed her teeth in fury. She had been waiting all this time for Cui Yun to yield!
And what was wrong with Guangning Temple? In previous years, the grain they produced themselves was so abundant it overflowed their granaries. Why had they come to buy grain and charcoal from Cui Yun this year of all times?
Only after the villagers had exchanged enough goods to cover their taxes did the monks of Guangning Temple begin carting the wagonloads of grain back.
“Our deepest thanks, Lady Cui. If not for you, we would have had no choice but to sell our grain at a loss.” Having resolved their urgent crisis, the villagers did not forget to express their gratitude to Cui Yun as they unburdened their hearts.
Although it was Guangning Temple purchasing their grain and cloth, would the monks have deigned to look at them if not for Cui Qi-niang’s mediation?
When they had previously begged at the temple gates, the monks would only offer pawn services. Since grain was at its cheapest during this season, the pawning valuation was driven down just as ruthlessly as the prices offered by predatory grain merchants.
As expected, these grand monasteries only showed respect to prestigious aristocratic clans. The villagers knew they had made the right choice by seeking Cui Qi-niang’s aid.
Cui Yun chatted with them for a few moments before sending them on their way home.
Before long, Qingxi returned from outside and said to Cui Yun, “Xiao Niangzi, I saw Vice-General Zhang leading the local garrison soldiers to escort the temple’s grain carts.”
Cui Yun remained motionless. After a long silence, she let out a soft sigh, “I owe him another favor.”
Qingxi was perplexed. “Xiao Niangzi, I do not understand.”
Xilan was also doubtful. “Could Guangning Temple’s sudden purchase of our grain have something to do with Vice-General Zhang?”
Cui Yun slowly voiced her speculation. “Yesterday, I ran into him outside Guangning Temple right as he finished bathing and was preparing to leave. Yet when we departed, he was nowhere to be found. Therefore, I suspect he must have been held back by something. Today, the temple monks arrive at our doorstep, and the garrison soldiers happen to escort the grain carts under the pretext of ‘fearing bandit raids.’ Is the answer not obvious enough?”
Qingxi said, “If Vice-General Zhang took the initiative to help us, is that not a good thing?”
Cui Yun sighed, “I only fear that his ambitions are far greater.”
Qingxi and Xilan instantly thought of Cui Yun’s marriage prospects. Weren’t the Wei and Wang families targeting the solitary Xiao Niangzi precisely to marry her and seize the Cui family estate?
It was highly possible that this Vice-General Zhang harbored similar intentions.
After a moment, Cui Yun shook her head, dismissing the cynical theory. “Perhaps I am measuring the stature of a great person by the yardstick of a small mind. If he truly coveted something of mine, he would not assist me in secret. Instead, he would make a great show of it, eager for me to find out so that I would feel indebted and grow fond of him.”
She paused, then added, “Since he wishes to keep this quiet, we shall simply pretend to be entirely unaware of his involvement.”