Chapter 102 The Sacrifice for the Cold Clothes Festival

Chapter 102 The Sacrifice for the Cold Clothes Festival

Magistrate Sun choked, took a sip of water to calm himself, and thought to himself that people with powerful backers speak with authority, which he envied!

Master Lu lowered his head and smiled. He didn't continue the previous sentence, but pondered and said, "No matter what the purpose is, if it is a good deed, it is a good act. On the Cold Clothes Festival, I will take the students of the county school to the Yellow River to burn clothes for the dead and pay tribute to the deceased. We will do good deeds together with the adults."

Du Min lowered his eyes, remained silent for a few moments, and then said, "Master Lu is a man of great virtue."

"I dare not accept such praise. You are a man of great virtue." Master Lu waved his hand and flattered, "As soon as you took office, the souls of the dead in the Yellow River were able to find peace. You are a truly benevolent and loving official who saves the world and cares for the people."

Others chimed in to agree.

Du Min smiled and said, "I have gained a reputation for saving the world and loving the people, but it won't be long before I become a corrupt official that everyone hates."

Master Lu paused, glancing at Du Min. He knew that what was coming next wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, but given their different statuses, he couldn't leave Magistrate Du hanging.

"Why do you say that, sir?" he asked with difficulty.

Du Min looked at Magistrate Sun, who calmly replied, "Two years ago, Magistrate Shen died in office while handling a funeral. After his death, the Emperor issued an edict condemning lavish funerals, but the people of Heqing County only behaved themselves for a year. After that, the trend of lavish funerals resurfaced and seemed to be getting worse. To eradicate this stubborn problem, Lord Du has to take drastic measures. We have discussed that we should widely publicize the regulations on funerals in the 'Great Tang Commentary,' and do everything in accordance with the law. Violators will be punished."

"This is my first time serving in office, and I am not sure if I have acted too rashly. Master Lu has lived in Heqing County for a long time and knows the temperament of the locals. He is also a teacher and educator, and a descendant of the Lu family of Fanyang. He is talented and resourceful. What do you think? Can you point me in the right direction?" Du Min asked humbly.

Master Lu's expression changed. He had fallen into the trap set by the Du family. Today was a trap. If he had simply nodded or remained ambiguous, he believed that once he left this room, word would spread that the Lu family of Fanyang supported Magistrate Du's strict ban on lavish funerals.

The others also changed their expressions. As things stand, none of the people present had any funerals to attend to, but every family would encounter a funeral, affecting not only themselves but also their relatives and clansmen.

"This move will affect your reputation and disturb the people's hearts. It is too rash. I hope you will be cautious." Master Lu stated his position. He did not support Du Min's reform. Funerals are the most important thing for the dead. As long as the funeral is not too outrageous, the officials will not investigate unless the people complain.

Du Min understood his attitude and asked doubtfully, "I thought you knew the purpose of the Emperor's appointment of me to take up my post in Heqing County."

“The paper offerings used in the Fengshan ceremony will surely be very popular at the foot of Beiman Mountain. Perhaps you could put more effort into this, gradually getting the people to accept paper offerings and weakening the status of pottery offerings, instead of forcibly suppressing pottery offerings and elevating paper offerings,” Master Lu said directly. He stood up and said, “When I first met your sister-in-law, I told her that I had long heard of you, sir, and my desire to get to know you was also due to my curiosity about paper offerings. I had no other intentions.”

“Your Excellency’s actions are merely following the rules and acting in accordance with the law. How can you claim to be coercing or suppressing pottery funerary objects? Master Lu must have misunderstood,” said Magistrate Sun. “Furthermore, it is only those who intend to violate the rules who fear Your Excellency’s corrective action. Such a person deserves to be punished.”

Master Lu turned a deaf ear, and Magistrate Sun was not even worth his attention. The fact that a member of a powerful family would pay attention to Du Min, a poor official, was only to give face to the people behind him. Du Min was at best a dog of the Zheng family of Xingyang, yet he thought he was the master.

“I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I must take my leave now.” Master Lu turned and left.

"Master Lu, weren't you curious about the paper-made funerary objects? You left before you even learned about them?" Du Min had suffered too much humiliation and didn't take Master Lu's coldness seriously at all. He calmly said, "The Buddhist verses and sacrificial animals used in the Fengshan ceremony of the sage were written by Minister Zheng himself. I want to ask for paper boats with Buddhist verses to cross the water during the Cold Clothes Festival. I heard that General Lu is also a Buddhist. I wonder if he would be willing to send a copy of the scriptures to make paper boats with Buddhist verses."

Master Lu slowed his pace.

Meng Qing came out and handed a piece of paper to Master Lu, saying, "These are the requirements for copying the scriptures. Please pass them to General Lu. Performing rituals for the wandering souls during the Cold Clothes Festival is an act of accumulating merit and doing good deeds. Buddhist verses and paper boats can ferry the deceased ashore, and are no different from ritual implements. Whoever copies the Rebirth Sutra will receive the merit."

Master Lu's expression turned serious. "Alright, I will hand it over to him personally."

Meng Qing saw him out.

After Master Lu left, the remaining three neighbors also made excuses and left one after another.

“My lord, there may be obstacles to implementing the law!” said Magistrate Sun.

"The more obstacles there are, the more we must push forward." Du Min's determination was not shaken by Master Lu's actions.

After the meal, Du Min took Magistrate Sun and Gu Wudong away. The rest of the people did not stay at home for long. They hired a donkey cart and went to the granary to work.

*

Two days later, Du Min dispatched 80% of the yamen runners to take copies of the laws to various wards and markets to post them, and ordered the ward heads to explain the laws to the residents.

Upon learning of this, Meng Qing wrote twenty notices overnight to accept apprentices and asked the yamen runners to post them in various markets and neighborhoods.

Heqing County suddenly became bustling with activity.

"Fangzheng, what does this newly posted notice say?"

"The Qingniao Paper Craft Academy and the Meng Family Paper Horse Shop are accepting apprentices. Tuition is free, room and board are provided, and the training is guaranteed to teach and teach until you master the skills. The requirement is to work for three years." The head of Shipanfang read aloud through the paper, his mouth dry. "The Qingniao Paper Craft Academy is under the Ministry of Rites and is an official academy. It once made paper offerings of the three sacrificial animals for the Emperor's Fengshan ceremony. The academy has no requirements regarding the apprentices' household registration. Merchants, artisans, and farmers can all apply. After completing their studies, they can stay at the academy as masters and teach apprentices without affecting their household registration. The Meng Family Paper Horse Shop only accepts apprentices with merchant or artisan household registrations. After completing their studies, they can also become masters and teach apprentices at the paper horse shop."

"Free room and board? No tuition? And it won't affect the change of household registration?" The residents of Shipanfang were excited. This meant that farmers' children could also learn a trade. If they could stay in the free school after completing their studies, they wouldn't have to toil in the fields for a living anymore, and they wouldn't have to rely on the weather for their livelihood.

Fangzheng looked at the notice again and said, "That's right, that's what it means. The school is located in the abandoned granary on the east side of Heyang Bridge."

Interested residents rushed to sign up.

The notices posted together at Xuanjiaofang and Jixianfang near the county school, and at Zhengpingfang, Daomufang, and Shangxianfang near the county government office, were ignored and even had swill thrown on them.

"My lord, something terrible has happened! People outside are all cursing you. From my observation, someone is deliberately trying to steer the tide." Gu Wudong hurried into the county government office and reported the situation to Du Min. "I have an accent and can't find out which side is deliberately trying to incite people to curse you. You can arrange for the servants in the office to inquire."

"So what if they found out?" Du Min waved his hand. "Let them be. Aren't they just trying to use public opinion to suppress me? This shows they're afraid, which proves my actions are on the right track. Anyway, how's my second sister-in-law doing?"

Meng Qing's free school was very popular for recruiting apprentices. This was mainly because the school was under the Ministry of Rites and was an official school. It did not discriminate based on the apprentices' household registration, education, or gender. Applicants included beggars, porters, farmers, merchants, and craftsmen. There were even people applying for positions as accountants and cooks.

The Meng family's paper horse shop, which is next to the Yishu (charitable school), has the Yishu as its signboard, and many people come in to inquire. Because it only accepts ten apprentices, it has already filled its quota of apprentices before the Yishu.

"Fifty apprentices are enough. I won't be taking any more this year. The rest of you, please leave." Du Li walked out and dismissed them.

"You've collected enough already? I just got here." A boy whose legs were still covered in mud looked disappointed. "Big brother, could you collect one more? I'm very quick."

"Come again next year, I'll be taking on more apprentices next year," Du Li waved his hand.

"When next year?" someone pressed.

"They'll post a notice about accepting apprentices then, but I don't know the exact time," Du Li said. "Hurry back, it's getting dark."

After saying that, he went into the granary.

Meng Qing was talking to fifty new apprentices. When he saw him come in, he glanced at him and continued, "After the Cold Clothes Festival, bring your bedding and household registration. The place to stay is in the empty granary next door. Men will share a room and women will share a room. After you settle in, each of you can come here to get fifty coins to buy wooden planks and build your own beds. Apprentices who live nearby and don't want to eat and sleep here can get one hundred coins a month for food."

The fifty apprentices immediately became restless. They had never even seen paper effigies before. Most of them rushed to become apprentices without asking any questions, mainly because they were interested in the free room and board. They never expected that they would receive food expenses instead of tuition.

"Quiet down and listen to me. The purpose of providing food and lodging is mainly to make it easier for people to work. Anyone who goes home to eat or stay and affects their work will be kicked out without hesitation. Also, if you don't stay at the free school for three months, you will have to return all the money you took from me when you leave." Meng Qing continued, "Alright, there are still two days until the Cold Clothes Festival. Go back and think it over carefully."

"Get out of here! Hurry back, it's getting dark, don't linger here any longer," Du Li shouted.

After all fifty apprentices left, Meng Qing and Du Li rode away in a donkey cart with their father.

Back at the county government office, Meng Qing and Du Li got out of the car, while Meng's father and his family of three continued their journey back to Xingjiaofang.

"Mother! Father!" Wang Zhou rushed out of the county government office, extending both hands. "You're finally back."

Meng Qing and Du Lige each took one of his hands, and after a few steps they met Du Min. Meng Qing snapped his fingers and said, "Magistrate Du, I'll rent two more abandoned granaries and pay the rent at the end of the year."

“Don’t just rent them out yourself, bring me some other business too,” Du Min said. “How’s the paper boat making going? Governor Lu will send someone to deliver the copy of the Rebirth Sutra.”

"We'll soak it in tung oil tonight, and it'll be ready to be pasted up by tomorrow afternoon, so we can put it in the water on the day of the Cold Clothes Festival," Meng Qing said.

Du Min was relieved upon hearing this.

*

As the Cold Clothes Festival approaches, every household is burning clothes for the deceased, and a hazy, gray atmosphere hangs over Heqing County for a long time.

On the day of the Cold Clothes Festival, the smoky atmosphere grew even stronger. When Du Min led his officials out to welcome the monks from Longxing Temple and Baofeng Temple, the closer they got to the temples, the more ashes of burnt paper appeared along the roadside. When the wind blew, it looked like snow.

After Du Min left, Meng's father and his family of three drove three donkey carts loaded with paper money and winter clothes to meet Meng Qing outside the yamen. Du Li also drove three donkey carts, which carried six paper boats with Buddhist verses, each five feet long and two feet wide.

When the two families arrived at the Yellow River, the monks from the two temples had already arrived and were setting up an altar.

Meng Qing looked around and saw Du Min in the distance. He was talking to a man in a black warrior's robe. She looked a little longer and saw Master Lu, and guessed the identity of this general.

A short while later, Du Min led General Lu over and introduced him, saying, "Second sister-in-law, this is General Lu. He's here to see the Buddhist verse paper boat."

"Greetings, sir." Meng Qing led him to see.

“There are quite a few people setting up altars by the river,” Du Li said as she walked up to Du Min.

Du Min nodded. The Lu family had set up an altar, and General Lu Zhen had also made an appearance. Regardless of the specific circumstances, to outsiders, it was all to give face to the county magistrate. Naturally, the Wang and Zhang families would also show their faces and express their support. In addition, with Longxing Temple and Baofeng Temple performing rituals, the worshippers of the two temples, following the Buddha's wishes, also came to the north bank of the Yellow River to set up altars and burn paper clothes to mourn the dead.

Today's Cold Clothes Festival burns offerings, with twenty altars and over a thousand participants, making it a large-scale and lively event.

When the time came, after the first offering, six paper boats bearing Buddhist verses were launched into the water. The six paper boats floated and sank on the river surface as the water surged.

People on the shore chased after the paper boats, and handfuls of paper money were thrown high into the air, swept by the wind and falling into the Yellow River, tumbling in the water along with the paper boats.

The relatives of the souls lost in the river stood on the riverbank, weeping mournfully.

Amidst a sky full of paper money and the sound of chanting, the group followed the monks downstream.

From dawn till dusk, the last six paper boats were salvaged near the pontoon bridge and moved by the yamen runners to the front of the Qingniao Paper Craft School, where monks performed rituals to pray for the souls of the dead on board.

"Wait a minute!" Meng Qing shouted. She looked at the monks of the two temples and asked, "Master, can the paper boat with Buddhist verses ferry the souls of the dead? I've heard that after a person dies a violent death, their soul remains at the place of death and cannot be reincarnated. Can this paper boat, filled with the sutra of rebirth, carry the souls of the dead ashore?"

The monks nodded in full view of everyone. If it was useless, what was the point of chanting the Rebirth Sutra all day? What were they actually helping to deliver the deceased?

Meng Qing looked at everyone and said, "Qingniao Paper Craft Academy and Meng Family Paper Horse Shop accept Buddhist scriptures copied by you pilgrims. We can use the Buddhist scriptures you copied to make paper craft funerary objects."