Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 630 - 628: You Are Destined for Buddhism

Speaking of the Xiao Family’s daughter-in-law, Lin Wanwan remembered something, which she found quite strange.

A few days ago, Lu Shouyue somehow sent her many books and materials about the Great Tang’s gate valves, saying he specially found them because she liked Tang history.

He also explained to her a lot about the bloody struggles among the gate valves, it was nothing short of a history full of blood and tears, and the battles were incredibly fierce.

She didn’t know why Lu Shouyue was suddenly interested in the Great Tang’s gate valves and started giving her such lessons.

Then Lin Wanwan found information about the Lanling Xiao clan in the materials, and flipped through it in her spare time.

The Lanling Xiao clan, known as "with the Tang’s rise and fall", surprisingly didn’t experience much bloodshed and storms during the Tang Dynasty.

However, in the material provided by Lu Shouyue, besides the power struggles among the gate valves and between gate valves and the imperial power, there were many about the private life inside the gate valves’ residences.

For example, Lin Wanwan was particularly interested in Xiao Chong’s branch, the wild history records all kinds of intrigues and conspiracies within these residences.

It felt hard to discern the truth, probably most of it were whims, as if scholars from humble families imagined stories about gate valves.

Just like later writings claiming Empress Xiao married Li Shimin, it was all nonsense, merely satisfying their gaze upon beauties.

Lin Wanwan now personally came to the Great Tang and saw that the sixty-year-old Empress Xiao did not marry the thirty-something Li Shimin!

Although Li Shimin had no qualms about such matters, occupying his brother’s wife, he admired Empress Xiao’s reputation and respected her as a person.

Apart from these wild history records, there was another part in the legitimate material where Lin Wanwan saw the pathetic side of the Xiao Family women.

From the ancestor who became Emperor, the Lanling Xiao clan favored Buddhism, a trait passed down to Xiao Yu who remained devout.

Xiao Yu even sent three daughters to the Buddha, making them nuns in the same imperial temple where Wu Zetian became a nun, accompanying ancient lamps and statues all their life!

Speaking of this, women in feudal society had no human rights; paternal and husband rights were above all, and their fate was dictated by others.

Xiao Yu’s eldest daughter became a nun at the mere age of three, what could she understand? Previously, when Lin Wanwan researched she merely skimmed over it.

But in the information Lu Shouyue provided, there were several papers on the matter which Lin Wanwan found quite credible.

The analysis indicated that from the epitaphs of Xiao Yu’s three daughters, the second daughter might have voluntarily become a nun due to her high understanding of Buddhist laws and exceptional achievements in Zen studies, influenced by her family.

While the other two daughters likely sacrificed for the family, becoming nuns for political reasons.

When Xiao Yu’s eldest daughter was three, it was exactly half a year after Yang Guang was made Crown Prince, the same year the Sui Emperor abolished public schools throughout the realm and constructed towers in thirty provinces to preserve relics of the Buddha.

This year was extremely important for Buddhism’s development in China, indicating the Sui Emperor favored Buddhism over Confucianism, aiming to rule the country through Buddhism.

As Yang Guang’s uncle, Xiao Yu, having his three-year-old daughter become a nun this year clearly carried strong political purposes.

It served both as a chip to solidify Yang Guang’s position as Crown Prince and as an investment for the Xiao family’s development.

Her becoming a nun supported the family’s politics, but conversely, it also showed her life was sacrificed for the family.

Xiao Yu’s youngest daughter was just born that year, historical records noted she became a nun in the twentieth year of Zhenguan.

That year was exactly when Xiao Yu had a dispute with Li Shimin, he claimed he wanted to become a monk(out of frustration, he said this several times), Li Shimin surprisingly agreed this time and told him to go ahead, which he later regretted.

Subsequently, because of losing a struggle against Fang Xuanling, he was further dismissed by the Emperor.

This dismissal was more severe, because simultaneously he was stripped of his title as Duke Song and was exiled from Chang’an to govern in Shangzhou.

During that year, his youngest daughter unexpectedly became a nun, which was undoubtedly to take the blame for her father.

In any era, an individual enjoys family-given glory and comfortable life but must also bear the responsibility for the family’s development.

After reading about the Xiao family’s offspring, Lin Wanwan felt that men could rely on family power and their own knowledge for their future, but women were mostly swept along by fate.

This somewhat eased her regret over rejecting Xiao Chong.

The difference between her and Xiao Chong was too large after all.

Not to mention any potential future children she might have, even the thought of sacrificing the happiness of the little Qingyu she had cared for two years for some family duty was unacceptable.

With a golden finger, one should be able to ensure their children’s peace and happiness for life!

She lacked ambition; she just wanted to live freely and relaxedly and let her family enjoy a life free of burdens, being a wealthy idler.

Such a life, if tied with the Xiao Family, would be impossible to achieve; higher ranks make it harder to remain independent.

With Xiao Chong’s talent, he wouldn’t stay outside forever; sooner or later he would return to the power center in Chang’an City.

Then, many matters would be beyond personal control.

Walking in Daxingshan Temple, Lin Wanwan thought about Xiao Yu’s three daughters who became nuns; the more she thought, the heavier her mood became, after all, Xiao Chong was someone who made her heart flutter uncontrollably.

Unconsciously wandering around the temple, Lin Wanwan unknowingly reached the place where sermons are given.

Today, the sermon on the podium was given by an Asan Brother, whose Great Tang Mandarin was proficient, even better than Lin Wanwan’s accent.

Lin Wanwan’s mind was drawn in, curiously entering the hall to listen, squeezing next to an old man in a purple robe.

The listeners were absorbed, whether they truly understood or not was another matter, looking around, one could distinguish the social ranks from the clothing of those present.

The wealthy were inside the hall; the poor squeezed outside.

The old man beside Lin Wanwan wore a purple brocade robe, which indicated he was at least a Third Rank official.

Only after listening for a while and realizing she lacked comprehension in Buddhism did she start looking around, she then suddenly thought of something.

At this moment, the Master on the stage suddenly paused his sermon and looked at the absent-minded Lin Wanwan: "This female benefactor, is the most Buddha-like presence I have seen in life, may I ask how long you’ve practiced Buddhism and what insights you have?"

"Eh?"

Is he talking about me?

Lin Wanwan was bewildered by the gaze from the Asan Monk and surrounding people, what’s happening here, why would he mention me during a sermon?

Seeing the varied looks around her, Lin Wanwan quickly composed herself into a dignified posture and calmly said, "Master exaggerates, I don’t understand Buddhist Law, only have Buddha in my heart. Bodhi has no tree, the bright mirror is not a platform..."

Upon these words, an intake of breath came from the surroundings.

Lin Wanwan also immediately realized that her words were too profound, akin to the state of seeing one’s true nature and attaining Buddhahood, she couldn’t sustain it.

But this phrase was too famous, even someone completely unfamiliar with Buddhist Law like Lin Wanwan could recite it smoothly; a misstep, after being called by name in front of everyone, she had nothing else to say, so she blurted it out to cope.

Asan and the large and small monks beside him were already standing excitedly: "Female benefactor, you have a connection with my Buddha!"