Chapter 16

Few people come to Jia Cong's place, and since today is New Year's Eve, all the prominent figures in the East Courtyard have gone to the Rongqing Hall for the banquet.

Zhi Shao was somewhat puzzled as to why someone would visit at this hour, so she stepped forward to open the courtyard gate.

She saw a young maid leading the way, holding a pale pink palace lantern, its soft glow illuminating two beautiful figures.

The woman in front had sharp eyes and elegant brows, her gaze vibrant and spirited; she wore a bright red scarlet felt cloak, with an apricot-colored floral-embroidered long jacket visible at the collar.

The woman following behind had slightly fuller skin and a balanced figure, her cheeks like fresh lychees, her demeanor gentle and quiet; she wore an indigo-based cloak embroidered with colorful gold, her steps calm and graceful.

The woman in front smiled and said, "I heard from Shi Shu that you are Zhi Shao, right? What a pretty maid. Is your Cong Sanye in? We have brought a guest to see him."

Only then did Zhi Shao realize: "So it is the Third Young Lady. Please, come in quickly; the Cong Sanye is in."

Jia Cong had already walked up to greet them, smiling: "So it is the Second Sister and the Third Sister. Truly rare guests."

Tan Chun had long heard that Jia Cong had grown up confined in the granary courtyard of the East Courtyard, but she had never seen it with her own eyes.

Now, seeing this narrow courtyard, it was bare, and not even a single blade of grass could be seen.

Various gifts were laid out one by one on Jia Cong's desk, filling it completely.

"I am Wang Dong, the Superintendent of the Palace Eunuch Office at Prince Jia Shun's mansion. Entrusted by the Prince, I have come specifically to deliver New Year's gifts to Young Master Cong."

Jia Cong showed a look of gratitude and said, "The Prince is truly generous. Yesterday, I received a letter granting me the honor of participating in the Nanxi Literary Gathering, and today you have been sent by the Superintendent to deliver New Year's gifts. I truly have no way to repay such kindness."

Jia Cong hurriedly invited Tan Chun, Yingchun, and Wang Dong into the room. His room was not large, and with so many people entering at once, it appeared somewhat crowded.

Tan Chun thought of the poem from Xizhou in her own room. Such a Third Brother Cong had actually grown up in this kind of place.

There was a box of top-quality tribute Hu brushes, two pieces of high-grade, exquisitely carved Duan inkstones with natural color variations, five boxes of silver-flecked snow-patterned silk Xuan paper, ten sticks of tribute mud-gold painted green-smoke Hui ink, and other small items used by scholars.

Thinking of how her own biological brother was living in such destitute conditions, and not wanting to have an outsider like Wang Dong following behind, a look of sorrow and unbearable pity appeared on her face.

Tan Chun composed herself and said, "Third Brother Cong, this is Eunuch Wang from Prince Jia Shun's mansion, sent by the Prince's order to deliver New Year's gifts to you."

He looked closely at Jia Cong's facial features and bone structure, as well as those warm and calm eyes, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Wang Dong said, "The Prince knows that Young Master Cong is a scholar, so he has sent some items that the Young Master can use daily."

It seems that this Jia Cong's position in the Jia household is humble, and he lives in great destitution; the rumors outside are actually true.

Jia Cong heard that Prince Jia Shun had sent only brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but seeing the look of surprise on Tan Chun's face, he knew these items must be rare, top-quality goods.

In the courtyard, there were three adjacent bungalows; the two on the left were pitch black, and only the one on the right had a light on.

They are all the Old Lady's biological grandsons. Not to mention comparing him to Second Brother Bao, even Huan'er, who was also born of a concubine, lived much more decently than Third Brother Cong. She couldn't help but feel sad for Jia Cong.

Wang Dong waved to the two young eunuchs who had been following behind him, each holding a brocade box.

Tan Chun had heard from Shi Shu that those two rooms were for storing miscellaneous items of the East Courtyard, and Jia Cong and his maid were squeezed into the last one.

Yingchun had a slow-to-warm personality, but having grown up in front of the Old Ancestor, she had lived the life of a young lady of gold and jade, and had never been to such a desolate and lonely place.

The light in the courtyard was dim. After greeting Tan Chun and Yingchun, Jia Cong noticed that there was another person following behind them.

Entering this narrow and shabby courtyard truly shocked Wang Dong.

The literary genius in the Prince's eyes actually lived in such a place. Finding such a spot in the magnificent Rongguo Mansion was truly not easy.

He also saw that Jia Cong's figure was thin, even a bit gaunt, and his clothes were clean but worn out.

Wang Dong smiled: "Young Master Cong, you don't need to be so formal. The Prince likes the Heart Sutra you sent him very much."

"The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones gifted by the Prince, although all top-quality, are just common items, which are just right for Young Master Cong to use."

Wang Dong said this, pondered for a moment, and added: "However, there is one more thing I would like to ask Young Master Cong for advice on."

Jia Cong's expression turned serious, and he asked, "I wonder what it is?"

"The Prince read the Heart Sutra written by Young Master Cong and regarded it as a divine work. The Prince is a person deeply versed in Buddhist scriptures, yet he has never seen such an exquisite Buddhist classic. May I ask where Young Master Cong learned it?"

Jia Cong's mind was sharp. As soon as he heard Wang Dong ask about the origin of the Heart Sutra, he knew that in the timeline of this place, such a Buddhist treasure as the Heart Sutra had not been circulated, and that person Xuanzang must not exist either.

After all, the few history books Tan Chun had were limited and could not exhaust all the details, which was to be expected.

As for the origin of this Heart Sutra, he could just say whatever he wanted, and he believed that no one in this world could trace its roots.

Wang Dong was a very meticulous and detailed person. After he raised the question, his eyes stared unblinkingly at Jia Cong's expression.

He believed that although Jia Cong's talent was astonishing, he was after all a ten-year-old boy. If there was even the slightest bit of fabrication, he would surely reveal hesitation, and that would never escape his eyes.

The Prince specifically sent him to deliver the New Year's gifts, wasn't it for this? Otherwise, a small eunuch would have sufficed.

Jia Cong answered without hesitation: "Speaking of the origin of this Heart Sutra, even now I find it strange."

"About two years ago, one day when I was returning home from school, I met a mangy monk on the road. His face was full of illness, and he said he had been hungry for several days and was on the verge of death. He probably hadn't been able to beg for any food."

"Seeing that he was pitiful, I felt soft-hearted for a moment and gave him all the ten copper coins I had saved, telling him to go buy some steamed buns to eat."

"The monk didn't have to be hungry anymore, so he was naturally very happy. He also said that he had a connection with me, and to thank me, he said he wanted to teach me a Buddhist proverb. As long as I memorized it and recited it silently often, I could eliminate disasters and accumulate blessings."

"But I am the worst at memorizing books. That year, Grandfather Dairu at school taught us to memorize the Di Zi Gui. Many classmates could already recite it, but I still couldn't recite it fully after two months."

Wang Dong felt strange in his heart: This Di Zi Gui is only a thousand words, and he still couldn't recite it fully after two months. This aptitude is truly mediocre. How can such a person practice such exquisite calligraphy?

Jia Cong continued: "So when that mangy monk asked me to memorize the book, I absolutely refused. But the monk said that his method of teaching people was different from others. As long as I listened to him recite it once, I would be able to remember it forever."

"At that time, I was half-believing and half-doubting, but the monk didn't care and just muttered and recited it in my ear. That was this Heart Sutra."

"It's strange to say, he just recited it once vaguely, and I actually memorized it without a single mistake. It's been several years, and I still can't forget it."

"What's even stranger is that since then, my memory has suddenly become much better, and I no longer have to worry about memorizing books. It's just that my classmates at school don't really play with me, so I've never told anyone about this, not even Grandfather Dairu."

This remark made Wang Dong, an old hand, widen his eyes.

To say that a half-grown child like Jia Cong could make up such a bizarre story on the spot, he couldn't believe it no matter what.

Before he came, Jia Cong didn't know at all what he was going to ask. Under his own eyes, he absolutely couldn't have fabricated it on the spot.

Moreover, the cause of this matter was so bizarre and tortuous, how could it be made up in the blink of an eye?

As soon as he asked the question, he spoke without thinking, his tone calm, without the slightest hesitation.

This couldn't help but make Wang Dong believe it. Moreover, he was well-informed and knew that some supreme virtuous people in Buddhism had secret techniques such as empowerment and heart-to-heart transmission.

Even for illiterate people, they had ways to make people remember tens of thousands of words of Buddhist scriptures and speeches in a single evening, and recite them backwards, without forgetting for decades.

This Jia Cong actually has such deep blessings!

He must have met such a Buddhist master, who then passed down such an unworldly classic as the Heart Sutra.

Thinking about it, he was able to practice such exquisite calligraphy at a young age, perhaps it was because his mind was opened by the mangy monk.

Tan Chun and Yingchun were even more dazzled and fascinated. This Third Brother Cong is truly a strange person. Why do such unbelievable things always happen to him?

The shrewd Wang Dong already believed Jia Cong's statement by eighty percent. The remaining twenty percent was because the matter was too bizarre, and he needed a process to accept it.

Wang Dong never dreamed that Jia Cong was completely talking nonsense.

As for why he could speak without hesitation, smoothly, and without leaking a single flaw.

That was because in the world where Jia Cong lived, there were hundreds of thousands of people who humbly called themselves "losers" every day, working tirelessly to write stories.

He had seen too many such bizarre stories, and he could say them right away without any hesitation.

(End of this chapter)