Chapter 832
Chapter 832
For the sake of development, Shinta Masuda decided to turn a blind eye to the abnormalities in Omori Village.
This gave the people on Silver Mountain a chance to catch their breath and develop more rapidly.
The Imperial Guards were the first to notice the change, as there were far fewer spies entering the mountains.
They reported the matter to Kuang Ping and Jia Cong.
After a long silence, Jia Cong said, "Pan Yun's influence here is really that great?"
Kuang Ping's lips curled up as he said, "Pan Yun is not prominent in China, but he is highly respected in Japan, Ryukyu, and even Korea."
The main point is that Pan Yun picked a big one as soon as she appeared.
The Japanese military's official regulations were controlled by the Ōuchi clan, whose maritime trade spanned across East Asia.
The Ouchi clan had a navy that followed them wherever their business took them, and the pirates they recruited also followed them there.
Whether it was the Ming Dynasty, Korea, Ryukyu, or even further afield, Siam and Malacca, the Ōuchi clan was involved in the roaming pirates.
Pan Yun sought revenge by attacking the Ouchi clan, forcing them to cede land and seaports, and even causing Ouchi Kyohiro to die from severe injuries. How could her reputation not be established?
According to Kuang Ping, some people along the Korean coast still worship Pan Yun's longevity tablet.
Even though she had never met the North Korean people.
“Even the Ming Dynasty can’t underestimate her now, can it?” Kuang Ping said meaningfully, “Didn’t Master Wang value Master Pan highly? After learning that Master Pan had come to Japan, he wrote to inquire about the details several times?”
Jia Cong fell silent.
From then on, Jia Cong became more cautious. Instead of rushing to monopolize the mining of Yinshan, he cooperated with several mine owners to withstand the Japanese inquiries and develop his influence.
They need to develop a powerful force in Omori Township before Japan discovers it, in order to protect their silver mine.
This time, the imperial ships transported back a considerable amount of silver, more than Pan Yun had transported back last time.
The emperor was overjoyed when he received the silver; the shackles on his heart were lifted, and he finally felt less constrained.
However, the rebellion of Deng Maoqi in Fujian was still not quelled.
A year had passed since Deng Maoqi's rebellion, and the emperor felt as if a thorn was stuck in his heart. After thinking it over, he sent Chen Mao to lead troops south and then drew 50,000 troops from various places to quell the rebellion.
Including the troops previously dispatched, the Ming Dynasty has now deployed a total of 150,000 troops.
The emperor felt that if the rebellion could not be quelled this time, Chen Mao, Liu Ju, Chen Rong, and others would all be punished.
Not long after Chen Mao set out with his troops, Wang Ji, who was implicated in the mission case, was sent to inspect the southwest. He happened to witness Si Jifa plundering Mengyang. The emperor immediately ordered Wang Ji to take charge of military affairs, Gong Ju to be the general, and Fang Ying and Zhang Rui to be the left and right assistant generals, leading 130,000 troops from Nanjing, Yunnan, Huguang, Sichuan and Guizhou to suppress the rebellion.
At this time, it was Ghost Month, the hottest time of the year, and the silver transported back via Quanzhou Port had just been transferred to the capital.
The emperor then ordered that any silver subsequently sent back from Japan should be used by a certain Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to procure military provisions, and also ordered Jiao Hong, a senior official of the Ministry of Revenue, to go to Yunnan to supervise the supply of provisions.
Military reports were sent to various places by fast horses through post stations. Only the top two leaders in each place knew that the country was going to war again, while the common people were completely unaware, still immersed in the harvest and the Ghost Month rituals.
In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, wheat, soybeans, and other crops have been harvested, and the rice in the paddy fields is turning yellow, just waiting for the harvest at the end of the month.
I don't know if it was the floods and typhoons last year that brought forward this year's major disasters. There was only a slight drought at the beginning of the year when we were planting crops, and then the weather was favorable.
At this time, the rice in the field had just been fertilized, and there had been a rain recently. There was a shallow layer of water in the paddy field, and the rice ears had begun to droop slightly. The sun was shining brightly, and when the wind blew, the green waves rippled, and there seemed to be the fragrance of rice flowers.
Pan Yun and the others were squatting in the rice paddy catching crabs when Zhang Ziwang glared at them with a stern face and scolded, "Those crabs are so small, have you never eaten them before or what?"
Pan Yun swiftly picked one up and exclaimed, "Master, look! I've carefully selected this one; it's plump enough to eat!"
The landowner chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, you can eat them. This year, the crab seedlings were released earlier and are bigger than in previous years. The aquatic plants are plentiful, so they are growing better than last year. The young Taoist priests like to catch more."
Zhang Ziwang quickly apologized to him and scolded the student for being ignorant.
The landowner disagreed: "The Taoist priests are willing to come to our village to perform rituals, and we are only offering them a crab feast. Are we being disrespectful?"
Although it's called a crab feast, the table certainly can't only have crabs; in fact, there aren't many crabs at all.
Although Pan Yun and the others went to the fields to catch some, it was just for fun. They didn't actually catch many, and each person could only get one.
The landowner, seeing that they were very sensible people, was even happier and treated them with even greater hospitality.
Pan Jun, his feet covered in mud, climbed out of the field, his shoes still wet, and walked over the grass to the irrigation ditch to wash his feet. As he washed, he asked, "Village head, the irrigation ditch in your village is really well dug. Does it get repaired every year?"
The landowner laughed and said, "It's not once a year, but it needs to be dredged every other year, otherwise the canal will become clogged. Water conservancy needs maintenance to benefit people, otherwise it will harm them."
Pan Yun nodded.
Although she was wearing a student's robe, the landlord could tell from Zhang Ziwang and the other students' attitudes toward her that she was no ordinary person and had extraordinary abilities.
Otherwise, when Zhang Ziwang reprimanded her just now, all the other students shrank back, but she wasn't afraid at all.
Therefore, he was very polite to her; when it came to social etiquette, he was serious.
He took two steps toward Pan Yun and asked, "Young Taoist priest, the Ghost Festival is approaching. We've performed the rituals in our village. Will our ancestors receive our offerings?"
Pan Yun nodded firmly: "Yes!"
The landowner breathed a sigh of relief: "Then..."
"As long as your ancestors have the will, they will surely bless you with safe travels and good health."
The landowner's eyes narrowed with laughter.
This is a large village with only two major surnames: Qian and Wu.
Both clans invite monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals every year during the Ghost Month. Oh, because there is a Hanshan Temple not far from here, they usually invite monks.
This wasn't the same as last year's typhoon and flood disaster. Afterwards, they invited monks to perform rituals and buried the villagers who had died unjustly. Not long after, several houses in the village collapsed, and then a rainstorm caused a landslide on the mountain, killing several more people.
The villagers felt that the monks' skills were not up to par, so this year they hired Taoist priests instead.
The whole village started raising money in April, and it wasn't until June that they took the money to Longhu Mountain and pulled a lot of strings to get the job listed on the academy's training list.
Just then, Zhang Ziwang needed to teach them how to perform large-scale prayer and soul-pacifying rituals, so he chose this one from a list of options. Thus, on a sunny morning, Zhang Ziwang led his group of students on a two-day journey to this simple and honest village.
The villagers, who had paid a high price, had no idea that these were student soldiers; their forms were being used as teaching materials.
Of course, they didn't lose out either. Zhang Ziwang personally led the team and completed the teaching task. Li Wenying, who had some free time recently, also came to join in the fun.
Therefore, whenever a student makes a mistake, the two teachers immediately step in, ensuring that the villagers get their money's worth.
The villagers were very hospitable, and the Taoist priests started killing chickens and sheep as soon as they entered the village, which made Pan Jun and the others feel embarrassed.
Zhang Ziwang then admonished them: "Knowing shame is the first step to courage. If you feel embarrassed, you must be even more diligent and not let down the expectations of the kind people!"
So Zhang Ziwang asked them to upgrade the ritual, not only to pray for the people of this village, but also for this land and for the country.
The students were under immense pressure, so they had to use even more talismans to set things up.
Well, they drew all these talismans themselves, so the task fell to Pan Jun, who was the best at drawing talismans.
Of course, other students also drew, but they only drew two or three pictures as a token effort.
The talismans and talisman arrays drawn by Pan Yun were numbered in stacks.
Li Wenying walked to Zhang Ziwang's side, glanced at Pan Yun who was still cooling off with her trousers rolled up, shook her head and said, "Why are you making things so difficult for them? Among these students, besides Pan Yun and Miaozhen, who else is capable of stepping out of the magic array to pray for the country's well-being?"
Zhang Ziwang: "Aren't we still here, you and me?"
Li Wenying: "...I'm just here to join in the fun."
Zhang Ziwang: "You didn't eat their food, you didn't drink their tea? Since you accepted their kindness, you have to pay the price!"
Li Wenying was choked and unable to speak.
The village needs to hold two different rituals, one to appease the spirits and the other, more importantly, to honor the villagers who died unjustly last year. These rituals need to be completed late at night.
A prayer ceremony needs to be performed during the day.
So at night, they first set up a soul-soothing ritual. They were learning the steps and techniques of this ritual, and the class had a 97% pass rate.
Pan Yun had the best grades, so she took the lead, with her classmates assisting her from behind with various magical artifacts.
Late at night, the villagers quietly gathered around, watching silently.
When Pan Jun used his sword to lift the talisman, it burst into flames, sparks exploding and swirling in the air in different shapes. Some villagers began to stir, whispering in alarm, "I...I saw my father!"
"I saw my older brother too..."
A low sobbing sound came from the crowd.
Seeing that Pan Yun had burned all the talismans, Zhang Ziwang said to the villagers, "The gates of the underworld have opened. You can now burn paper money for your loved ones and send them blessings."
The villagers immediately spread out a little, and the family members gathered in a circle to light a fire and burn the paper money, ingots, clothes, and other items they had in their hands.
The villagers spoke in hushed tones to their deceased loved ones. For a moment, only scattered firelight could be seen in the village. The murmurs of the relatives mingled with the sounds of frogs and insects, making it difficult for even the perceptive Pan Yun to hear clearly.
About fifteen minutes later, Miaozhen gently shook the bell in her hand, and Zhang Ziwang immediately reminded the villagers: "The gate to the underworld is about to close. You should quickly let your loved ones depart in peace and not worry about the mortal world, lest their souls be disturbed."
Immediately, a villager sobbed, "Mother, everything is fine at home. Go and be reborn in peace. Don't worry about home..."
"Honey, I'll take good care of things at home. You can go in peace..."
"Brother, don't worry, if I have a son in the future, I will definitely give one to you to adopt. You can reincarnate without worry. If it happens, you might be reborn as my son..."
After they finished talking and crying, everyone felt relieved.
Pan Yun seized the opportunity and immediately led everyone in a procession to send away the wandering spirit. They used scriptures to appease the ghost. As the spirit entered the gates of the underworld, a sudden gust of cold wind arose, swirling up the ashes of the burning paper on the ground and sending them into the sky, like a small tornado. It only gently brushed against everyone's cheeks, yet it swept countless ashes into the air...
The villagers looked up at this astonishing scene, becoming even more certain that their loved ones had returned and received their blessings and gifts.
After the ritual was completed, most of the worries and sorrows that had been lingering on the villagers dissipated, and smiles appeared on everyone's faces, making them feel relaxed.
The second day's blessing ceremony was a completely different scene. The whole village was bustling with the sound of gongs and drums. Zhang Ziwang personally took the lead, demonstrating for the students and leading them in a grand blessing ceremony.
The villagers knelt around them, and when the talisman that Zhang Ziwang had set off suddenly burst into flames, they immediately closed their eyes devoutly and chanted their wishes: "Great Ancestor, please bless our family with everything going smoothly and making us rich this year. Whatever you want, just come back to us in a dream..."
Their voices were very soft, some of them didn't even utter a sound, but Pan Yun, standing in the second row holding a peach wood sword, heard the wishes made by everyone present.
She shook her head, seemingly lost in thought.
Outside the crowd, Li Wenying, who was on the inspection team, glared at Pan Jun. Pan Jun immediately dared not make any further moves. While listening to the wishes that were gathering from all directions, she stared blankly at Zhang Ziwang, waiting for the next step.
This ritual takes a long time, with different steps, incantations, and yellow talismans to be burned at each position to represent Heaven.
When others are doing it, you should watch, listen, and pay attention, responding in your heart, so as not to let the gods perceive disrespect after you invite them, which would backfire.
This half of the ritual took a total of one and a half hours.
An hour and a half under the scorching sun.
When it ended, it was exactly noon, not a minute more, not a minute less.
When Pan Yun and the others stopped, their faces were flushed from the sun, and they looked dazed.
Did you think that was the end of it?
Do not!
When praying for the country's well-being, the deities invoked are not just one or two, but a whole group!
Since we've invited the deities, we must send them off properly. So, the morning session is only half of the ceremony; the afternoon session will be the other half.
Because Zhang Ziwang's ritual was upgraded at the last minute, many preparations only started yesterday afternoon, which wasn't enough, so preparations still need to be made today.
Pan Yun and the others withdrew, took off their heavy ritual robes, and sat in various shady places such as under trees, under eaves, and under corridors. Then they took out paper money and folded gold and silver ingots, clothes, carts, and all sorts of things that could be offered to the gods.
The villagers brought them water, knowing they wouldn't eat anything that day, only drink water and vegetable soup, so they waited and watched after delivering the water.
Seeing how skillful they were, the villagers exclaimed, "Your craftsmanship is even better than that of the coffin shop in our county!"
Pan Jun proudly said, "That's right. We are graduates of Longhu Mountain Academy. Even if we can't make a living as Taoist priests in the future, we can still open a coffin shop."
"Alright, alright, this line of work is guaranteed to be profitable. In this world, there are only two things that never change: life and death." (End of Chapter)