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Ch46 - Perceptions
Now, Huai’en Temple was just about the most popular temple in Jinyang. Even before the bells rang each morning, believers waited for their doors to open, so they could light incense and pray for Buddha’s blessings. The shadow of the plague was upon them still, so it wasn’t strange that they sought protection from the divine.
Jiang Ni had muddled his way into the crowd of pious believers inching forwards. On the way, he’d seen quite a few people, across all ages and genders, wearing face coverings. As they passed the meditation rooms that’d once been used as sickrooms, the masked people would all pause, clasp their hands, and bow in the rooms’ direction.
He knew, of course, that the masks they wore were known as “Liang Scarves” and that they’d practically been glued to the street cleaners’ faces. He also knew that those who were still wearing the “Liang Scarves” were likely people who had heard of the prophetic dream and whose family members had been treated by the medical center.
Jiang Ni casually sidled closer to a mask-wearing old man and pretended ignorance, “Excuse me mister, but why are you wearing a cloth on your face when the weather is so hot?”
“This is something taught to us by Buddha.” The old man explained kindly, “As long as you wear the ‘Liang Scarf,’ you’ll be left alone by sickness.”
“Why is it called a ‘Liang Scarf?’” Jiang Ni continued.
“Uh
.”
The old man was at a loss for words, but a mask-wearing woman next to him answered, “Because Master Liang was the one who received Buddha’s guidance and shared it to us. That’s how the plague was vanquished in Jinyang.”
“Is Master Liang really that amazing?” Jiang Ni pretended to ask doubtfully.
His words incited an impassioned bout of admonishment.
“Of course it works!” “Otherwise how’d the plague go away?” “The monks in the temple already said, Master Liang received a dream from Buddha
”
The mess of noise drowned out Jiang Ni’s voice and attracted much attention. Jiang Ni himself hadn’t expected that his master was held in such high esteem. He shrank back and mumbled, “Then the ceremony this month, is Master Liang attending?”
News of the ceremony had already become common knowledge; all the believers who’d come to the temple at this early hour knew about it too, but many of them hadn’t wondered whether or not Master Liang would be there. Upon hearing Jiang Ni’s question, some person instantly shouted, “That’s right, Master Liang should be invited to the ceremony as well!”
“Master Liang’s the one who received the vision – surely the abbot has invited him.”
“I’m going to ask one of the masters later
”
“Who’s Master Liang?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The crowd began frothing with conversation and gossip. A good number of people hadn’t heard of Liang Feng before, and thought the plague had been stopped entirely due to the monks of Huai’en Temple. Now they learned from the people around them about the prophetic dream Buddha had sent. Nothing gave a legend more flare than prophecy, let alone one that had saved thousands of lives. It didn’t take long until the believers waiting before the temple had more or less accepted it as truth. They began looking forward to the ceremony with a sense of jittery anticipation.
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“Zjrafg, klii Zjrafg Oljcu yf jaafcvlcu atf Fiijwyjcj Mfralnji?”
“Xgfja wjrafg, Zjrafg Oljcu lr Devvtj’r wfrrfcufg, sbe’nf uba ab lcnlaf tlw ab atf mfgfwbcs
”
“Master Liang must be there to deliver the souls of the dead
.”
The ordinary monks didn’t know anything about Master Liang; they’d nearly folded under the torrent of questions when Master Nianfa made an appearance and said, “It is thanks to Master Liang, who received Buddha’s wisdom, that we suppressed the plague demons. The abbot has already invited him to attend the ceremony, rest assured, my good benefactors.”
They’d been informed the day before by the Wang Residence that Liang Zixi had accepted their invitation and was on his way to Jinyang. Thus, Nianfa spoke with eloquence and confidence. Seeing how enthused they were at the prospect of Liang Feng’s arrival, he couldn’t help but sigh at what an excellent move his master had made.
His words had more weight than an imperial edict, dispelling their doubt like smoke in the wind and giving truth to the story of the prophetic dream. See, it was even acknowledged by the monks of Huai’en Temple. The onlookers who’d only lingered out of curiosity began looking forward to the ceremony as well. If this bodhisattva came personally to Jinyang, would Buddha bestow his favor upon the people of this city?
In an instant, Jiang Ni disappeared into the rowdy rabble.
※
Western quarter, the ethnic marketplace.
In the wake of the recent plague, the ethnic marketplace was no longer as flourishing as it had once been. Only half the shops were still open and the merchants who remained were still tense and anxious. They hesitantly advertised their wares, hoping to earn some coin.
A masked young man walked into a somewhat prospering textiles store. The salespeople of the ethnic market had gotten used to seeing customers wearing Liang Scarves and greeted him unreservedly, “What kinds of fabrics are you looking for today, sir?”
The customer shook his head, “I’m not here to buy fabric. Does your shop sell any lotus pattern clothes? Cloth pouches are fine too.”
The shop did sell ready-made clothes, but they weren’t used to getting such specific requests. The salesman lurched before hurriedly answering, “We don’t seem to have anything with a lotus motif, but there’s a few with hibiscus
”
“I only want lotuses!” The man seemed to be rather worked up, “Isn’t Master Liang coming to Jinyang? Don’t Buddhists like lotuses? It has to be lotus patterned.”
The commotion drew the notice of other customers. A woman, also wearing a Liang Scarf, asked, “Which Master Liang? Is it the Master Liang who Buddha sent a dream to?”
“Which other Master Liang could it be? I just came from Huai’en Temple, and they’re all saying that he’s coming to the ceremony here!” The man instantly replied.
“Oh my!” An old woman nearby joined in as well, “If Master Liang is coming to Jinyang, we really must pay our respects. My family owes our lives to him!”
“Mum, should we buy some lotus patterned clothes as well?” The woman asked urgently.
“Mhmm, let’s check another shop!” The old woman decided, then left with her daughter.
The salesperson was still a bit stunned when the man said, “If there’s nothing with lotuses here, I’ll try another place.”
Then he too exited the shop. The salesperson swiftly ran to the back courtyard to tell the shopowner of the news. The shopowner had only barely survived the plague. If Master Liang came, he’d definitely want to pay respects as well!
After visiting several stores and buying a bunch of lotus engraved boxes, lotus embroidered pouches and lotus patterned clothes, the man finally left the ethnic market. Though he hadn’t bought that much, nearly the whole market now knew that Master Liang would soon arrive. Some households even sent servants to inquire at Huai’en Temple. If he really was coming, then what was the harm in collecting some lotus patterned clothes or accessories? After all, he was the bodhisattva who’d saved Jinyang, he deserved this much respect!
The rumors washed over Jinyang like a summer flood.
After ducking into a secluded alley, Jiang Ni took off his mask and took a deep breath. Thought it had been tiring, going round the city twice in a day, he’d fulfilled his master’s instructions. Unlike these peasants, he was a savvy merchant. No one knew more than he, the kind of impact his master’s reputation would have on the price of their estate’s new porcelain and paper.
It’s just that even he had been caught off guard by how famous his master already was in Jinyang. Not only was he known to those near the temple, but even the residents by the ethnic market! He’d painlessly completed a mission he’d thought would be arduously difficult. He couldn’t help but fret over whether it was enough to simply sow rumors amongst the commoners. After all, it’s not like these people could afford to buy their porcelain or paper

His master’s intentions really were opaque to normal people. Jiang Ni shook his head. No matter. He only needed to fulfill the master’s orders! When was the master even going to come anyways

※
“Master, all the Scripture Paper the paperworks has made is right here.” Liu Lin fidgeted as he stood next to a long, long paper shelf. He hadn’t imagined that the master would actually inspect the paperworks himself. Though, just as much excited as he was nervous. This batch of Scripture Paper was the result of the paperworks’ blood sweat and tears.
Liu Lin hadn’t gotten a good nights’ rest in months. He spent all his time holed up in the paperworks trying to make a new kind of paper. Who knew how many barrels of paper pulp he’d ruined, getting from the coarse paper that was slightly inferior to Zuo Bo paper to the faintly yellow Scripture Paper. And who knew how much time he’d spent, trying to imprint designs onto paper. Who wouldn’t be joyed at finally seeing their efforts come to fruit?
Right now, the paperworks’ biggest output was this type of Scripture paper. They were cut into narrow rectangles, such that each sheet was the perfect size to write a chapter of scripture on. Its thickness was even, its sheen was glossy, and it had subtle lotus prints in the corner. It was utter perfection. Liu Lin would guarantee that it was of higher quality than even the highly-praised Zuo Bo Paper. But because their manpower was limited and their master’s standards were high, they’d only churned out six thousand sheets.
As for the two types of floral letter paper, they were even harder to make. He’d tried many formulas before figuring out two stabler kinds of floral paper. The paper with the red of hibiscus and rouge was named Peachflower Parchment, elegantly simple and alluringly beautiful. The paper they’d added peppermint and camphor leaves to was named Jasper Parchment, faintly green and refreshingly scented. These two papers were sold at astonishing prices. Though they were cut into small cards, there were only five hundred sheets, barely enough for them to use.
It’d taken tens of thousands just to research how to make this paper, not to mention how costly the rogue and camphor leaves were. Every day, Liu Lin lived in fear that the master, displeased with their excessive spending and failure to produce a finished product, would dissolve the paperworks altogether. He hadn’t had the chance to catch his breath until after they’d crafted the new paper and the noose around his neck finally loosened.
But this amount wasn’t even enough to sell on the market.
“Master, it’s just that we spent too much time on the prototypes. But, we’ve already discovered a reliable way to make this paper, and the next batch won’t take so long,” Liu Lin said cautiously.
“One batch will take around two or three months I suppose?” Liang Feng asked.
“It’ll indeed take a little more than two months, but right now, since it’s summer, the paper can dry a bit faster. Also, the paperworks has been constantly making paper pulp, so the next batch will be out in a month or so,” Liu Lin replied.
That was already the shortest possible timeframe. Liang Feng nodded, “How much paper is in a single batch?”
“Scripture Paper takes a lot of pulp, so there’s about five or six thousand sheets each batch. The material for floral paper depends on the season, but three hundred sheets should be no problem,” Liu Lin said apprehensively. With this quantity, they’d probably only have enough to sell two or three times a year.
Liang Feng did some mental calculations, then said, “You don’t need to increase the output of Scripture Paper or floral paper, but you’ll have to make some ordinary paper to supply the estate.”
He wasn’t so particular about the paper he used day-to-day, so it was fine if they were made with moving screens. Liu Lin instantly sighed in relief.
Liang Feng added, “A few days ago, I already told Craftsman Liu to make a few boxes to store this paper in. Put exactly a thousand sheets in each box, and make sure there aren’t any defects mixed in. Put the rest of the floral paper into smaller boxes. I have other uses for them.”
“I understand!” Liu Lin responded.
“You did well in making this paper. You can go to the accounts office later and receive your reward.”
“This
” Liu Lin was a bit tentative, “I’ve already received rewards twice already. There’s really not enough paper this time to make much money, you’re really giving me too much credit, master
.”
That was what his dad Liu Mutou had told him to say. The woodworks and paperworks had already received quite a lot of money. What would they do if they couldn’t make it all back and the master got angry with them?
“Who said this wouldn’t sell for much money?” Liang Feng raised a brow and smiled, “Of course you’ve earned some compensation for all your hard work.”
His brain fogged up after being smiled at, he quickly kneeled and expressed his gratitude. Liang Feng reached out and stroked the paper, then let out a long breath. With such thorough preparations, he could finally depart without worry.
Two days later, five horses, thirty servants, as well as four ox-pulled carriages, slowly left the Liang Estate, heading towards Jinyang.