The old woman replied, "You don't know about this official. This prayer for a son, according to the master of Hualien Temple, must also be sincere. According to the regulations of our Hualien Temple, if this woman wants to have a child, she needs to go to this temple to fast for seven days, go to the temple to pray in person, and ask the Buddha for a bamboo stick. If you do a good job and get the signature, you will be allowed to go to the monastery and fast. ”

"How many women have come to ask for fasting signs?" Liu Ming asked.

The old woman nodded, "Naturally, it's a lot." This is signed, and it is hard to find. Now many women from neighboring counties who want to have children also come here to ask for a lot. ”

When Liu Xing'er heard this, she hurriedly pulled Liu Ming's arm and said, "Xianggong, let's also go and ask for a son, I heard that this is very effective." ”

Liu Ming nodded and immediately stepped into the temple.

There were many pilgrims in line, some praying for academic fame, some seeking treatment for the elderly, and naturally more women seeking children.

Liu Ming waited for a long time, and was finally able to enter the temple, but before he had walked a few steps, he was stopped by two monks.

"Amanmidha, donor, the monastery is full today, please come back tomorrow." A monk clasps his palms together and salutes.

Liu Ming said: "This master, we have just been in the position, can you let us go in and worship the Bodhisattva?" ”

"Donor, the temple is overcrowded today. Let's be early tomorrow. The monk insisted.

Master Wu took two steps forward and said in a loud voice, "You monks, you are dizzy from chanting scriptures, don't you know who I am?" ”

The young monk looked up and said in surprise, "Your Excellency, it's you......"

Master Wu leaned sideways, pointed at Liu Ming and said, "Inform you Abbot Yuanding, saying that our county magistrate has arrived." Let him hurry out and receive him! ”

"Yes...... Yes, the little monk will go. The young monk glanced at Liu Ming in fear, and immediately turned around and went back to report to the host.

After a while, an old white-bearded monk arrived with several monks.

"My lord arrived, but I couldn't meet him from afar, and I hope your lordship will forgive me." The white-bearded old monk was the presiding officer of Yuanding, and he bowed and said.

"The host doesn't have to care." Liu Ming smiled and said, "This official didn't want to disturb you, but he just wanted to come and worship the Bodhisattva. ”

"Please come with me, sir."

Yuanding quickly instructed the monks to empty a Buddhist hall in the temple. Liu Ming held two pillars of incense, came to the statue of Sakyamuni in the Buddha hall, knelt on the futon, and recited, "Offering the Three Treasures of the Ten Directions, the Three Worlds." Swear to stop all evil, swear to cultivate all good......," he said, and bowed down.

After getting up, Yuan Ding praised, "I didn't think that the adult was still a person who studied the Dharma. ”

Liu Ming said with a smile: "I'm a class with an axe, and I know a little master in Xia, so I know a little bit about it." ”

Yuan Ding responded: "Good, good." ”

After Liu Ming finished worshipping, he got up and went to the side room to pick up the fragrant tea soaked in the temple and tasted it slowly. Yuan sat across from him, and the other monks stood respectfully behind him.

Liu Ming finished tasting the fragrant tea and said, "This official, you are a monk in the temple, you are diligent in burning and cultivating, and you are strict in your precepts. Wait for the official to inspect it, if this is the case, after the New Year, I will report to the governor of Beizhou, let you become a monk of this temple, and preside over this temple forever. ”

When Yuan Ding heard this, his face was overjoyed, and he immediately stood up and thanked him.

Liu Ming said again: "I heard that your temple has all kinds of magical powers, and that Sun Zitang is the most effective, but is there such a thing?" ”

Yuan Ding responded: "This is indeed the case." This temple promotes Buddhism, purifies all sentient beings, and the people have hardships and difficulties, and strives to help them wherever they can. ”

Liu Ming smiled with crooked eyebrows: "If you can help this official do something that is beneficial to the people's livelihood." That's for the best. ”

Yuan Ding said respectfully: "The old monk is just doing the things of the nature of Buddhists, and there is absolutely no desire to transgress the bounds. The monks are pure in their six roots, and they aim to cultivate Buddhism and get rid of reincarnation. ”

"That's the best, that's the best." Liu Ming said painlessly, "Let this official also visit the Sun Sun Hall." ”

Yuan Ding and the monks took Liu Ming Xing'er and Wu Zhushu and his party to the backyard and entered the Sun Sun Hall. The good men and women who burned incense everywhere had consciously avoided the officials when they saw the officials coming.

When I came to the grandson hall, it was also three large halls, carved beams and embroidered pillars, painted buildings and flying rings, and the gold was dazzling. In the middle of a divine kitchen, there is a goddess in it, with a pearl crown, embroidered robes and colorful curtains, holding a child in her hand, and four or five men and women standing next to it. This Shinto is called the descendant of the mother.

Liu Ming stood in front of the grandson for a long time, watching for a while.

Liu Ming thought in his heart, which Bodhisattva and which immortal is this Sun Niangniang? How come I've never heard of it myself?

However, this grandson hall is built gracefully and luxuriously, more than the outside of the palace, the god kitchen on the yellow Luo embroidered curtain, two silver hooks hung open, the god shoes are five colors at the same time, about hundreds of pairs.

"What is the front row of rooms for?" Liu Ming pointed ahead and said.

"Returning to my lord, it is a clean room for fasting women." Circle the answer.

There were about eight clean rooms, which were divided one by one, and there were all kinds of beds, tables, and chairs.

Liu Ming took a closer look at it again and asked, "Presiding, this woman is fasting in your temple, and there are many inconveniences after all. In case someone else enters the ......"

Yuan Ding responded, "Lord Hui, this clean room is intermittently separated. There are also women's family guards outside, which can be said to be foolproof. ”

Pointing to the chairs at each doorway, he said, "This is for the fasting women's families." ”

Liu Ming observed it and understood that these clean rooms were indeed as Yuanding said, and they could indeed be completely sealed. However, when Ending introduced the room, there was a fleeting panic in his eyes. Liu Ming concluded that there must be something wrong with this. He pondered for a moment, and said happily: "Since this descendant hall has such a miracle, in fact, the official also wants his wife to come to eat and pray for the heir." What do you think of the host? Liu Ming held the shy apricot and said with a smile.

"That's a good relationship, absolutely no problem." Before Yuan Ding could speak, Master Wu took the lead in patting his ass and said, "Our county lord wants to come to ask for an heir, and it is also a blessing to this Hualien Temple, isn't it the abbot?" Hurry up and arrange an upper room for our old lady......"

However, when he heard that Liu Ming's wife was also coming to ask for a son, the abbot glanced at the other monks, and said with a sad face, "Recently, these clean rooms have all been booked, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to have empty rooms." ”

Master Wu's face changed, and he didn't expect that this old monk who looked so stable would directly reject Liu Ming's proposal, so he hurriedly said, "How can there be no vacant room?" Even if it's fully booked, what if you let the women of the family vacate a room? After saying that, he kept glancing at the abbot.

Who knows, the abbot of Yuanding, who is usually very familiar with Master Wu, does not look at each other at this time, but just insists, "In front of the Bodhisattva, all beings are equal. In my Buddha Gate, if you book a clean room, there is no distinction between officials and people. If I let the woman go away, I would be discriminating, and this is against the Dharma. ”

Liu Ming smiled lightly: "This abbot is also reasonable. If the ruler wants to forcibly let the women of the people give up a clean room, if it spreads, some people will say that I oppress the people. ”

Na Yuanding bowed his head and said; "The magistrate is worthy of being a parent official, and he is so thoughtful. But...... If the county lady asks for an heir, it is okay to fast in the county office. The old man then asked the monk to bring a sutra for the county lady to recite during the fast. The old man will also have morning classes tomorrow to pray for his wife. ”

Liu Xing'er took the scripture and thanked her happily.

Liu Ming and Liu Xing'er said goodbye to Yuanding and returned to the mansion arranged by the county government. Liu Xing'er blushed and said to Liu Ming that she hoped to fast and ask for a child from tomorrow.

Liu Ming took this scripture, flipped it in his hand, and said in a half-loud voice, "Madam, don't worry, don't worry if you want a child." ”

Liu Xing'er was about to fight, and said angrily: "Who is in a hurry?" I want to start fasting and chanting Buddha as soon as possible. ”

"This fasting and reciting Buddha should also take your time." Liu Ming's eyes were a little serious, "Moreover, I still have a problem with this temple." ”

Liu Xing'er stopped the female red needlework in her hand and looked at Liu Ming. Although her father-in-law's words made her feel abrupt, Liu Xing'er understood that her father-in-law was an extremely smart person and would never make comments casually.

"Xianggong, what do you want to do?" Liu Xinger asked.

Liu Ming looked at Xing'er's watery eyes, and felt warm in his heart. She didn't ask herself why, but she asked herself how to do it, apparently as a result of her extreme trust in herself.

Liu Ming held his cheeks with one hand and said calmly: "Xing'er, your matter of asking for a child, take a moment for a while." Tomorrow, I'll go to Master Wu. ”

Early the next morning, Master Wu received Liu Ming's instruction, saying that he wanted to gather the women who had gone to the grandson's hall to pray for blessings and hold a tea party.

Master Wu only thinks that this Liu Ming is playful and doesn't do business, and chatting with those women can be regarded as taking care of government affairs. But how dare you disobey the order of the peak? So he took two or three servants and went from house to house to find the women who had prayed for their children, saying that the magistrate had invited them to drink tea in the yamen.

When Liu Ming arrived at the public court, there were seven or eight tables and chairs in the public hall, some melons and fruits and refreshments were placed on the table, and a group of women were sitting around, some of them holding their children under the age of a month.

Liu Ming was dressed in a green silk official uniform, with a horizontal skirt underneath, a curved collar and large sleeves, a leather belt around his waist, and a right-angled head with hard wings, which looked extremely majestic. After three steps, the women all stood up and saluted.

"I've seen Lord Zhixian!"

There was a female voice in the courtroom.

Liu Ming sat upright in the lobby, and next to him, Master Wu stood respectfully. This reminded him that he was in Nafei County and helped Na He Zhi County to try the case, and when he saw that He Zhi County was wearing an official uniform, he was also a little envious in his heart. Unexpectedly, just a year later, he was also an official and became a parent official.

"Ladies and gentlemen...... I have come to invite you to coffee today...... No, it's tea......" Liu Ming cleared his throat and said, "It's nothing else." When the main official first arrived in the jurisdiction, he heard that the descendants of this Hualien Temple were extremely effective. Is that so? ”

As soon as these words came out, the women in the court had different expressions, some looked at each other and smiled, giggling. Some of them were full of shyness, and some of them had sad and angry expressions.

"Come, today, the county will prepare a little refreshment, everyone is welcome." Liu Ming said.

However, none of the women touched the contents of the table, and many of them were preoccupied.

"By the way, which of you will tell the county about the life of this seven-day fast?" Liu Mingfa asked.

After Liu Ming asked, no one answered the women present, and they all lowered their heads.