Guo Shao was willing to go there in person to take care of the matter, partly because Yu Lian had received favors from Yuzhen Temple, and partly because the Taoist temple was only a few blocks away from home, but the most important reason was: Yu Lian said that the temple master's name was originally Jing Niang.
He rode over with a respectful attitude and expectation. He mainly wanted to see Jingniang and help her. If he could, Guo Shao would be happy to do so.
It was a very ordinary Taoist temple, with a courtyard gate at the main entrance, and the main hall facing you. Guo Shao suddenly had a feeling: this Taoist temple was neither fish nor fowl. At least the layout of the Taoist temples he had seen when traveling was completely different from this one; especially the main hall, which looked like a Buddhist temple.
In order to make it convenient for pilgrims to worship and send money, they set up a clay statue in the middle of the main hall, and set up cushions on all sides, with earthenware jars for money in front of the cushions. Guo Shao looked at it with interest and saw that the business was not bad. There were pilgrims kneeling on the cushions, and there were people holding incense waiting behind them. Most of the pilgrims were women; this was probably the advantage of Taoist temples run by female Taoist priests. Perhaps women felt that female Taoist priests made them feel more secure.
The expressions of those pilgrims were truly pious. They closed their eyes and recited something silently with great concentration. Then they prostrated themselves and kowtowed to the gods. After that, they knelt straight and continued to pray.
Humans are indeed social animals and are easily influenced by the atmosphere of the group. Even Guo Shao had a thought in his mind when he saw how pious they were: There can't be real gods. Regardless of whether there are gods or not, it is better not to have a blasphemous heart. It is better to believe in them than not. Sometimes people's success or failure is simply unpredictable and it all depends on luck. Mysterious things are so magical.
There is a god above your head. At least many ancient people believed in this. Even Guo Shao was not completely immune to it.
In addition to kneeling to the gods, there was also a Taoist priest setting up a stall near the gate to pray for talismans. Guo Shao remembered that the talisman he brought to Gaoping Jinyang was prayed for here.
When Yu Lian prayed for the talisman, she also recited silently in front of the statue and prayed devoutly.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Guo Shao thought: This Queen Mother Cult, it barely makes sense to say that they are making money illegally, but it doesn't seem like a cult.
Led by a middle-aged female Taoist priest, Guo Shao passed through the front hall and the middle hall, and then entered a guarded courtyard gate. Once inside, he saw only Taoist priests coming and going, and no pilgrims or other people. The surrounding buildings did not look very elegant, and the bronze tripod in the middle seemed to be made of copper. The female Taoist priest led him through the courtyard and up the stone steps, and stopped in front of the upper room door.
"Mr. Guo has arrived," the female Taoist said. No one responded, so she called again and finally heard a "hmm". Guo Shao felt relieved. Why did the woman inside speak in such a voice
The door creaked open, and Guo Shao was stunned. He saw a beautiful woman with a blushing face standing in front of him. The woman was tall, wearing a plain white dress, which was disheveled and had a torn collar. Her plump, white and bulging skin was slightly exposed below her collarbone. What was even more unbearable was that the fabric of her top was stretched high and her clothes were thin. She had an extremely hot figure, a ruddy face and spring in her eyes. She was really indescribably charming.
Without saying a word, she pulled Guo Shao in. Guo Shao didn't notice that his whole body was pressed against her.
A scent hit her nose, the smell was light but obvious, very special, she couldn't imagine what it was, maybe it wasn't applied on her, but the unique female smell from her body. Through her clothes, Guo Shao could still feel her skin burning hot.
He was suddenly extremely embarrassed and his body stiffened immediately.
Female donor, please respect yourself. It’s not right for female lay Buddhists to do this. Guo Shao said nervously in embarrassment.
But the woman held him tightly and wouldn't let go.
Guo Shao wanted to push her away, but she held him so tightly and with such great strength that if he reached out to push her, they would be pulled together. He spread his hands to show that he did not want to molest this woman, and turned around and said, "Quickly pull her away. Who is she?"
At this time, three women who looked to be over 40 years old came in. They did not move at all. One of them said: Is the Saint possessed by a spirit
After hearing this, Guo Shao called her Saint Lady, thinking that this person might be the abbot of the temple. Suddenly he realized: She must have taken some weird elixir and is no longer in her right mind. Help her quickly.
But they completely ignored Guo Shao's request. Instead, another person said: Close the door and don't let others see it.
Guo Shao was puzzled and asked: What's going on
One of the middle-aged Taoists spoke a bunch of confusing and mysterious principles: We must not oppose what the Saint Lady wants to do; we must not disobey the Saint Lady's opinion.
At this time, the woman in his arms was caressing his chest, and her red lips were imprinted on his neck. Guo Shao said anxiously: Are you going to sit back and watch her innocence be tarnished
The three middle-aged women looked at each other, and someone said: Why don't you move them apart first and then explain to the Saint Lady.
They came up and pulled the two of them. Guo Shao was relieved to get help. He didn't mean to pretend to be a gentleman, nor did he have the heart of a gentleman. He had come to ancient times, so of course he had to follow the local customs.
He resisted vigorously, and the reason he said was not nonsense:
Is Jingniang really the Jingniang he had heard of in his previous life? It is very likely that she is the one who was rumored to have a relationship with Zhao Kuangyin, and her name is Jingniang. It is really a coincidence. The Jingniang in the story is a woman who is willing to jump into the lake to commit suicide. If Guo Shao tarnishes her innocence the first time they meet, it will probably be very troublesome.
As several people pulled at him, Guo Shao's clothes were torn. Four women and one man were twisted into a mess, with all their hands and feet moving in a chaotic manner.
At this moment, Guo Shao suddenly felt a stuffy sensation on the back of his neck, a cloud of white mist rose up in front of his eyes, and he had no strength left in his body.
When he woke up, he found that the female Taoist priest in the room was gone, and there was something soft on her body, and he immediately realized that there was a woman lying next to him. He turned around and saw that the saint was curled up on the wooden couch, still sleeping.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were tightly closed, her long eyelashes were trembling slightly, and her breathing was even. She was still wearing the white dress, but it was in a mess; Guo Shao looked down and suddenly found a red blood stain on the white dress. Suddenly, his mind was startled.
He was shocked and thought to himself: I haven't even tasted any of this yet, but I've already caused this trouble.
This Saint Lady must have had some problems or taken some elixir before. If she really did something stupid when she first met a woman, how could she still be innocent? She looked like she was at least in her twenties, which was considered old in ancient times.
The woman's innocence was still very important. Guo Shao realized that the matter was not trivial. Seeing that there was no one around, he carefully checked and confirmed the marks on her body. It was indeed him who had just ruined her innocence.
Can this be explained clearly
Guo Shao was upset and thought that since it was already like this, he might as well try it again.
But it was broad daylight, and he didn't know if anyone would come in, or when the plump woman would wake up, so he gave up. He quickly got up and packed up, thinking that he should leave this place first, after all, it was on their territory.
Guo Shao felt that this matter was indeed a bit serious, and thought: What is the relationship between Zhao Kuangyin and her? Will he come to settle the score with me
He returned home and paced back and forth for a few steps. There were only four people in the house, and he was flustered and wondered whether he should gather his personal guards to the house to prevent accidents. After thinking about it, he felt that it was too cowardly to mobilize troops when something happened. And when he thought about the last time a small thing alarmed Yang Biao and Luo Er and caused a big commotion, he immediately felt that he could keep calm and wait and see what happened.
It is not clear whether Zhao Kuangyin had a relationship with her. Even if he did, it would be unlikely for him to know it immediately. Even if he knew it immediately, Zhao Kuangyin would not have to bring troops to settle the score directly. He could just make things difficult for her.
So he only sent Huang the blacksmith to invite Zuo You.
Zuo You arrived that afternoon. Guo Shao invited him into the living room, but he did not say anything that would ruin someone's innocence. He only said: There is a Taoist temple nearby, called Yuzhen Temple, which once did a favor to my Yu Lian. Now because those Taoists do not have ordination certificates, the government wants to demolish the house and disperse the Taoists. But as far as I know, the Taoist temple has taken in homeless women. Not only is it harmless, it is also a good deed. If they are dispersed rudely, they will lose their livelihood. I want to find someone to help them speak for them. What do you think Mr. Zuo should do
Zuo You said: "This matter should be handled by the Kaifeng Prefecture. It is a small matter. It would be a bit of an exaggeration for the lord to go to other people. I used to be a clerk in Kaifeng Prefecture and I know some people. Although the officials may not take me, a clerk, seriously, things are different now. I can use the lord's name to go to the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture."
Guo Shao pondered and said: What is the relationship between Kaifeng Prefecture and the inner palace guards? They don’t know me, so they will take it seriously.
Zuo You smiled and said, "Of course it doesn't matter. But why would the government offend the lord? In the officialdom of Tokyo, no matter civil or military, they are all in the same court. If the lord really wants to do something to a civil official, there are ways. Don't you know Xiang Xun? Isn't Xiang Xun close to Prime Minister Wang Pu? Also, the house where the lord lives now is the property of the Fu family. People with intentions should pay attention to this. Therefore, no one wants to offend you for no reason; asking him to show leniency to a small Taoist temple that no one cares about is not a big deal. It's a small favor, so why not do it
That makes sense. Guo Shao nodded.
Zuo You said calmly: Leave this matter to me, and I will report back within three days.
Zuo You stood up and left the living room. As soon as he left, Huang the blacksmith came in and said: There is a woman standing in front of our house. When I asked her what she wanted, she didn't answer. I don't know what she does. It's very scary.
Guo Shao asked: Just one person
Huang the blacksmith nodded and said, "She is the only one standing on the street. She is not a big deal. I can't chase her away." Guo Lang, why don't you go and see if she is someone you know