The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 76: Trickster vs Trickster

Translated by: Shl

Edited by: Anks & Ely

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A yellow-robed monk, whose beard was completely white, walked slowly into the hall, staff in hand. Compared with the Taoist priest, Xu Kong, this elderly monk was amiable and benign-looking, his movements infused with an air of holiness that would not tolerate any profanity; he really seemed to be the epitome of a Buddhist disciple.

As soon as she saw this monk, Lian Qiao exhaled a long breath. Someone in the hall recognised the monk and cried out in amazement, "Isn't this Great Master Hui Jue? What is he doing here?"

Great Master Hui Jue's reputation far exceeded that of Xu Kong dao zhang. Every single one of the rich and noble families in the capital knew of the enlightened senior monk with a brilliant grasp of Buddhist doctrine who had appeared in the capital city at the end of the previous year.

When Xia Yan's eyes landed on Hui Jue, she knew this boded no good, but Jiang Ruan was still standing in the middle of the hall with a faint smile on her face. Xia Yan was instantly full of suspicion – how did Jiang Ruan establish a connection with this monk? However, on thinking about the events of the day, she absolutely could not allow Hui Jue to hamper her plan, so she smiled and said, "Why has Great Master come to the fu? Is it also to exorcise evil?"

Hui Jue placed his palms together in greeting, inclined his head slightly and said, "Amitabha." He turned to look at Jiang Ruan and greeted her, "Young Miss."

"Da Jiejie, on a normal day, you don't set foot outside. When did you become acquainted with this Great Master?" Jiang Su Su sounded innocent, but her words were accusatory. They suggested that, if Jiang Ruan were truly a virtuous lady who kept to her own quarters, she would not be able to meet people as she wished, even if it was a monk.

Jiang Ruan sighed lightly and looked towards Old Jiang Madame, who had opened both her eyes at some stage. "This is my present for zumu."

In a heavy voice, Jiang Quan asked, "How did this come to be?" When he compared Hui Jue to Xu Kong dao zhang, he naturally understood that Great Master Hui Jue was the more trustworthy of the two. However, as the monk was affiliated with Jiang Ruan, it was inevitable that there was some degree of suspicion.

"A few days ago, I went out with the young miss from Chief Historian Lin's fu, Lin Zi Xiang, intending to select a gift for zumu, but nothing was satisfactory. Zumu has no need to worry about food or clothing, and even the most sumptuous items would not be of interest to her. Ruan niang thought, nothing in this world can surpass the importance of peace and good health, and a long life of good fortune. I heard that there was a Great Master Hui Jue in the capital, a disciple of Buddha's Seat[1]. As it turns out, Chief Historian Lin's fu has some connection with the Great Master, so I asked Lin Zi Xiang for a favour, as I wanted to invite the Great Master to pray for zumu."

[1] Buddha's Seat – Buddha had four 'seats' disciples below him -these Four Bodhisattvas in Buddhism refers to Manjushri, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Jizo Bodhisattva. So this Hui Jue is a disciple under one of these bodhisattvas.

All the rich and noble families in the capital city were followers of Buddha, and many of them had invited Great Master Hui Jue into their fus to explain Buddhist scriptures. Lin Zi Xiang's mother had always been a follower of Buddha. Thus, the explanation Jiang Ruan had given was adequate, and would not evoke any suspicion.

She spoke with such sincerity that to doubt her seemed to be tantamount to disappointing her absolute devotion. Jiang Ruan said, softly, "If Ruang niang had known earlier that Mother had already invited dao zhang to come and pray on behalf of the Jiang fu, I would definitely not have taken the liberty to make this decision." She gently bowed to Hui Jue, saying, "Honourable Great Master Hui Jue, Ruan niang cannot thank you enough for your willingness to make this journey to pray for zumu. However, now that dao zhang is here, it seems to be unnecessary." She smiled slightly and said, "However, since dao zhang is at present engaged in performing an exorcism and is not in the right frame of mind to pray for zumu, would Great Master kindly consent to praying for zumu now? The light of your blessing will surely be able to confer long and continuous good fortune."