Xilin Zen Monastery is located in Xiaokun Mountain, West Wuli, Huating County.

Although the temple is also a place of Buddhism, it is different from the temple. Regardless of the size of the temple, there are Buddhist halls to accept incense from believers from all over the world; Unless the Zen monastery is large in scale and has a long heritage, most of them only set up courts for monks and apprentices to learn the Dharma and proclaim the Dharma.

In later generations, the culture of Zen monasteries on the mainland declined, but it developed in the port city, where the number of monks was limited, but the number of lay lay monks was quite large. When Shen Rui was a teenager, he also went to Qingshan Zen Monastery with the elder many times to listen to Zen, so he was no stranger to Zen Monastery.

What he saw in front of him was not completely different from the Zen temple in his impression, but it was also very different.

Xiaokun Mountain, no more than twenty or thirty zhang high, stretches bluestone steps from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain are scattered several wheat and vegetable fields, among which it is not tenants but monks in gray robes.

It seems that the life of the monks and believers in the Zen monastery is self-sufficient, and it does not make people go out of their minds and talk about it.

Shen Li explained a few words to his wife, asked Xie to wait in the carriage for a while, and the entourage also stayed, only one Shen Rui was brought with him, and the two brothers went up the steps.

After walking a few hundred steps, the two reached the top of the mountain. The terrain on the top of the hill is very gentle, and there is a group of buildings with white walls and gray tiles, if it were not for the plaque hanging on the gate, the words "Xilin Zen Temple" in the book, Shen Rui would almost think that he was in the wrong place.

Is this a Zen temple? Not even a mountain gate. It looks no different from ordinary people.

Shen Li said: "This is the Lu family's other business, Deheng Gong studied Buddhism here in his later years, and later set up a Zen temple to receive monks from ten directions. ”

The Songjiang Lu family is also a Songjiang family. This Lu family is not from the well-known Lu clan of Wu County, and the history that can be traced back to the genealogy is only more than 100 years. The ancestor of the move is Deheng Gong, who settled in Songjiang from the founding of the dynasty, and has been inherited for only a few generations.

In the Songjiang territory, the Shen family and the He family are considered first-class families, and the Lu family, the Zhang family, the Shao family, the Gu family, the Xu family, and the Guo family are second-rate. In fact, the strength of the Lu family is not inferior to that of the Shen family and the He family, because the Lu family and the Zhang family rely on each other.

At that time, Lu Deheng once joined the Zhang family, and although he returned to his original surname to establish a household, the one who could inherit the incense of the Zhang family was Zheng Deheng's second son. Although the Lu family's Zhang family is two surnames, they are of the same origin and close relatives.

This Lu Deheng is also a legendary figure in Songjiang, he was a homeless person for the first time, and he was a son-in-law, and it was the businessman who resumed his business; After accumulating tens of thousands of family fortunes, he began to study, and his descendants could not help but be a farmer and industrialist, and the Lu Zhang family became a big family. I didn't expect such a legendary figure to learn Buddhism again in his later years.

Although Shen Rui is curious about "Deheng Gong", he can't care about it at the moment, and he is about to see Wang Shouren.

The gate of the Zen monastery was open, and occasional gray figures flashed, all of them were wearing monks' robes, some had shaved their hair, and some had no hair loss, and those should be lay people who were studying Buddhism in the Zen monastery.

When Shen Rui followed Shen Li into the door, a monk came up to ask. When he heard that he had come to see the king, the monk sang a promise, so he called a little novice and led the two of them over.

Wang Shouren temporarily lives in a courtyard in the northwest of the Zen Monastery, where a clump of verdant bamboo looms as he sees it.

Hearing the movement outside, a gray-clothed boy flashed out from behind the bamboo forest, and when he saw everyone, he said with surprise on his face: "Master Shen is here, Master Shen is here!" ”

After the little novice sent someone here, he made a namaste to Shen Li and turned around.

Shen Li joked to the boy: "I have been here in the past, why don't you be so happy?" ”

The boy smiled bitterly and said, "Master Shen, the eldest brother is stunned, and he has been in a daze with the bamboo since seven days ago!" ”

Shen Li didn't care, but Shen Rui knew this allusion, could it be that "Shouren Gezhu" happened at this time? Regarding the allusion of "Shouren Gezhu", later generations have not verified the specific time, one theory is that Wang Shouren was eighteen years old when he first read Zhuzi's doctrine; One theory is that after he was admitted to the Jinshi, he sent it after seeing the bamboo in the official office.

As they spoke, the three of them had already walked to the front of the house.

Xiao Tong picked up the curtain and invited Shen Li and the two to go in.

There were three rooms, one bright and two dark, and the boy led the two into the Westinghouse.

The south window of the West House is a desk, on which are placed pen, ink, paper, inkstone and other objects; The north window is half-open and half-hidden, and there is an Arhat couch under the bed, and a young man sits cross-legged on the couch, looking at the bamboo forest outside the window, and his mouth is full of words.

This is Wang Shouren?

Shen Rui stood behind Shen Li and looked at it carefully. It seems that Wang Shouren also follows the customs, not only the scholar wears a monk's robe, but also wears a monk's robe, which is full of layman's appearance.

Wang Shouren was born in the eighth year of Chenghua, and he should be twenty-six years old now, but the young man in front of him has not yet grown a beard, and he looks like he is only about twenty. He has a long face, and his eyebrows are not often described as the sword eyebrows and lying silkworm eyebrows of the ancients, but the eyebrows of distant mountains, and below them are a pair of Danfeng eyes, Xia Fei's cheeks, red lips and white teeth, and his face is extremely handsome.

The famous Yang Mingzi turned out to be this look?!

Shen Rui almost dropped his jaw in shock, no wonder he always felt that something was wrong when he saw Wang Shouren's deeds in his previous life.

Wang Shouren's father, although he was born as a champion and was a teacher of Emperor Hongzhi, was only a noble and did not enter the cabinet. Wang Shouren, as the son of a hall official, traveled back and forth to Gaomen, and was known as the "champion talent" with his talent. But in the spring boudoir, Wang Shouren fell one after another, and he didn't even enter the top three. Later generations recorded that there was only a vague sentence "At the age of twenty-two, he failed to pass the Jinshi examination, and was pressed by the taboo when he took the re-examination". What can a young man be afraid of by the elders of the court?

Maybe it's bad in this appearance, there is only Empress Zhang in the harem of Emperor Hongzhi, and the people have occasionally heard of the emperor's love for men.

This look, put aside for hundreds of years, will definitely be sought after as a star, but it does not conform to the aesthetics of the Ming Dynasty, and it is estimated that in the eyes of those ministers of the DPRK and China, there is a suspicion of "male disaster". Fortunately, he is tall, his eyes are like electricity, and his temperament is masculine, so that his face is not feminine.

"Big brother, Master Shen is here!" The boy said.

Wang Shouren let out an "ah", then he came to his senses, raised his head, looked at the door in a foggy manner, looked at Shen Rui first, and then looked at Shen Rui for a pause, then got up and said, "Brother Shen is here." ”

As soon as the words came out, his voice was hoarse and harsh.

Seeing this, Shen Li couldn't help but look at him carefully, saw that his cheeks were flushed, and frowned: "I saw you last time, why did you get sick?" Can you get a doctor? ”

Wang Shouren said twice: "It's just a little cold, where is it to the point of asking a doctor?" After that, he instructed the little boy: "Go and cook a few bowls of ginger soup, and also drive away the cold for Master Shen and this little Brother Shen." ”

Xiao Tong answered, did not leave immediately, but stepped forward to close the north window, and muttered: "Big brother has been watching for seven days, and he should rest his eyes." "After that, he closed the window tightly and went out.

Shen Li shook his head disapprovingly and said: "This cold winter wax moon, sit clinically, it's strange if you don't catch a cold!" Speaking of this, he couldn't help but be curious: "This bamboo is just an ordinary green bamboo, and it has no other length, what is there to see?" ”

Wang Shouren spread his hands and said: "Zhu Ziyun's 'knowledge of things', the younger brother has been facing the bamboo for seven days, and he wants to be reasonable, not only does he not know, but he is becoming more and more confused, isn't it strange?" The little brother's brain is going to be a paste, could it be that I am really stubborn? ”

Shen Li smiled and said, "It's not that the devil is stunned! Zhu Zi mentions 'Gewu' and 'Zhizhi' together, not just 'Gewu'. In the final analysis, Zhuzi's doctrine is just a branch of Confucianism, and its doctrine may not be recognized by everyone. Why is it strange that you question it, maybe after many years, it will prove that you are right and he is wrong, so why should you be arrogant? ””

"It's me who is shallow." Wang Shouren nodded.

The guest and host sat down, Shen Li pointed at Shen Rui and said: "This is the cousin Shen Rui I mentioned to Bo'an before, nine years old this year, with the heart of learning, but the enlightenment has been delayed...... In the future, I will ask Bo'an to teach ......" Speaking of this, he said to Shen Rui: "Come forward and see it, Bo'an is both civil and military, and has great talents, I don't ask you to enter the hall, as long as you can learn one or two, it will be useful for life." ”

Shen Rui took two steps forward and said, "Boy Shen Rui, I've seen Mr. Wang." ”

Wang Shouren stood up, circled around Shen Rui, and saw that he was neither humble nor arrogant, calm and calm, so he helped him by the arm and said, "Get up, I heard Brother Shen mention your matter...... I don't dare to say anything else, I can still deserve this teacher. With that, he turned and sat down.

This will be kung fu, and the little boy has already returned with ginger soup.

Shen Rui replaced tea with soup and performed a disciple ceremony, which can be regarded as a formal worship of Master Meng.

Wang Shouren drank most of the tea soup, put it down, and said to Shen Rui: "If Shouwen is here, I can also be a senior brother with you." He was enlightened by me, and he stumbled back then, but now he will not be so unfamiliar for the second time. ”

Listening to this name, is it Wang Shouren's younger brother?

Shen Rui knew very little about this sage, and he didn't know how to answer, so he had to look at Shen Li.

"Is Shouwen in Beijing, or in Yuyao?" Shen Li said: "He's also fourteen or five, isn't it time for the boy to try?" ”

Wang Shouren added a little warmth to his face and said, "If you are in Beijing, how can the junior brother be so at ease." It's Yuyao, who lives with her grandmother. The father wanted to take him into Beijing, but the younger brother thought that it would be better to wait for him to pass the boy's test. ”

Shen thought for a moment and said, "It's all over Laba, are you really out for the New Year this year?" Where is Ling Zun, where is Mrs. Tai? ”

Wang Shouren smiled disappreciatively and said: "Everyone is the first to be injured, even if it is my closest relatives, they are also careful in front of me, and they are uncomfortable." Just let them concentrate on my studies when I am outside, and it is rare that I have been idle for a few years. ”

Shen Rui was beside him, looking at Wang Shouren, almost staring at it. The person in front of him is not only handsome in his facial features, but also free and uninhibited in his words and deeds, and has an open and hearty temperament, which is really eye-catching. This is the first time he has seen it, and he has not dealt with it seriously, and he is already not free to be high.

Such a character, when he entered the dynasty as an official, was put aside in all dynasties, I am afraid that he will be criticized. Wang Shouren is an all-powerful asset, showing virtue and talent, and there is not a single word of bad comment in the history books, and he can be regarded as a sage.